Paul was asked whether the Banana Boat crew would make it onto an NBA court playing together in any dream scenario.

“Anything’s possible,” Paul said. “Definitely, anything’s possible.”

“We’ll work out together and stuff like that sometimes,” he added. “The last time [we played together] was 2008, some time around the Olympics. D-Wade was coming off his injury. He hit us up and said, ‘I need to see what it’s like to play for real.’ We all met in Chicago. I’ll never forget that. We went to a gym in Chicago and we played pick-up with some other guys just to give him some of that real feel, what it was like. Then, I don’t know if you remember, at the 2008 Olympics, [Wade] went off. That’s what you do for your real friends and your real brothers.”

New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson thinks Carmelo Anthony is perfectly-suited for the “role that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant played” in his beloved Triangle Offense, but cautions that Melo tends to be too much of a ball-stopper.

With a little more discipline, Jackson believes that Anthony can thrive in the Triangle.

From earlier: Phil says Melo can play an MJ or Kobe role in the triangle but tends to hold on to the ball too long: https://t.co/LKhzwH47J8

Anthony is averaging 23.5 points (on 43.6 percent shooting), six rebounds and 2.5 assists through the season’s first 21 games.

Per ESPN:

“Carmelo a lot of times wants to hold the ball longer than — we have a rule: If you hold a pass two seconds, you benefit the defense. So he has a little bit of a tendency to hold it for three, four, five seconds, and then everybody comes to a stop,” Jackson said in an interview with CBS Sports Network that aired Tuesday. “That is one of the things we work with. But he’s adjusted to [the triangle], he knows what he can do and he’s willing to see its success.”

Jackson’s comments were prompted by a question about whether Anthony can fit in the triangle offense. Jackson made it clear he believes Anthony can.

“He can play that role that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant played,” Jackson said. “It’s a perfect spot for him to be in that isolated position on the weak side, because it’s an overload offense and there’s a weakside man that always has an advantage if the ball is swung.”

Carmelo Anthony’s 35 points led the Knicks to their fourth straight W, besting Goran Dragic (29 points) and the Heat. Kristaps Porzingis helped the cause with 14 points and 12 boards, and Joakim Noah showed signs of life with 10 points/10 rebounds. Derrick Rose took an early exit due to back spasms, but said the ailment “calmed down” after the game.

The Wizards have reached their nadir this season, coming away with a loss despite John Wall’s career-high 52 points. Elfrid Payton reached a career-high of his own, dropping 25 points in Orlando’s W. It’s been a start-and-stop season for Washington, who just earned a come-from-behind win in Brooklyn on Monday. After the game, a bewildered John Wall had no answers for his team’s performance.

It was an emotional return performance for Zach Randolph, who had missed Memphis’ last seven games following the death of his mother. Z-Bo, who secured a double-double in just 21:46 of court time, received love from Grizzlies fans in his 1,000th NBA appearance.

A much deserved standing O for Zach Randolph, who had taken a personal leave following his mother's passing. https://t.co/DJvn0N4WMx

The Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor-less 76ers had trouble contending with Marc Gasol (26 points, 12 boards), dropping their eighth straight despite an impressive double-double from Ersan Ilyasova. Considering they entered Tuesday with a nine-man roster, keeping tonight’s game close can be considered a moral victory of sorts.

The Pistons have now won four of their last five, behind Tobias Harris’ 22 points (9-of-16 from the field). The Bulls weren’t without solid performances- Jimmy Butler dropped 32 points while Dwyane Wade had 19 with seven dimes- but their bench continues to be an Achilles’ Heel. Isaiah Canaan, Nikola Mirotic, Cristiano Felicio and Jerian Grant combined for just 11 points off the bench, compared to 33 points from Detroit’s reserves. Meanwhile, Rajon Rondo made his return from a team-imposed suspension:

The Spurs remain undefeated on the road this season, shooting 52.7% from the field in a win over Zach LaVine (25 points) and the T’Wolves. Kawhi Leonard secured his sixth 30-point game of the season, shooting 11-15 from the field with four dimes and two steals. Karl-Anthony Towns couldn’t get it going on offense, shooting 3-of-16.

There hasn’t been much info about Carmelo Anthony’s thirteenth Jordan Brand signature sneaker. Last month at an event for Foot Locker’s Week of Greatness, Melo teased that there should be some movement around New Year’s. Thanks to Atmos Tokyo, we have an early detailed look at what Melo will be lighting up the Garden in.

The silhouette has mesh and a Zoom Air midsole, along with some type of new pattern that looks like dragon scales.

The court in Philly was reportedly wet from a hockey game the night before as well as high humidity levels. DeMarcus Cousins still wanted to play, helping clean up with floor with not one, but two, mops.

And yes, Joel Embiid is still getting a lot of mileage out of his “tanking” shtick.

A nice win for the Pistons, who have turned the corner in the past week, winning four of their last five games. They’ve been outscoring their opponents by an average of 9.3 points per 100 possessions during that span, which would be good for third-best in the NBA this season. Almost all five starters dropped at least 20 points, with Ish Smith totaling just 19.

Grizzlies 105 (11-8), Raptors 120 (12-6)

Without Mike Conley, Memphis fell apart in the second half against the Toronto Raptors, who have a top-5 offense and top-10 defense on the season. Andrew Harrison started in Conley’s place, but finished with a team-worst -14 plus/minus on the night. The team can’t rely on him this heavily going forward. Kyle Lowry led the way for Toronto with 29 points and 8 dimes.

Lakers 96 (10-10), Bulls 90 (10-7)

Huge win for the Lakers, who were coming off a blowout loss in New Orleans last night. Chicago led for most of the way, but L.A. came through in the end when it mattered most. The biggest difference in this game was bench scoring—a category in which the Lakers won by a whopping 40 points. Julius Randle is a star in the making, scoring 13 points and grabbing 20 boards in just about 31 minutes of work. Wow.

Wizards 115 (6-11), Thunder 126 (12-8)

Washington led for most of the fourth quarter, but then Russell Westbrook started to catch fire. Russ hit a step-back trey to send the game into overtime and then proceeded to drop 14 points in the extra session. Russ finished the game with his fourth straight triple-double—all in wins (two ending in OT) for OKC. The only question remains: Can he keep it up for 82 games?

Knicks 106 (9-9), T-Wolves 104 (5-13)

The future was right before our eyes as Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis went head to head in Minnesota. Towns was otherworldly, with 47 points and 18 bounds, but Porzingis wasn’t bad either with 29, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. The Knicks built a 17-point fourth quarter lead only two watch it all dwindle away in the final seven minutes. Thankfully for New York, Carmelo Anthony is as clutch as they come.

Spurs 94 (15-4), Mavs 87 (3-14)

San Antonio sat Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, and started some 26-year-old rookie named Nicolas Laprovittola. Dallas had built a 13-point third quarter lead and looked to be headed toward their fourth W on the year. Didn’t happen. Patty Mills had a big 23 points off the bench and Kawhi Leonard, steady as always, put up 21 and 7.

Heat 106 (6-12), Nuggets 98 (7-11)

This was an interesting battle between two struggling teams, both with plenty of intriguing young talent and excellent coaching staffs, still searching for effective lineups. The Heat, amazingly, committed just 6 TOs on the night, which proved to be the difference. Hassan Whiteside continued his stat sheet-stuffing ways with 25 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks. And Wayne Ellington came off the bench to score 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter.

Hawks 107 (10-9), Suns 109 (6-13)

The struggle is real for the Hawks. After starting the season 9-2, Atlanta has gone a ghastly 1-7 in their last eight games. Phoenix, still a bottom-five team on the season, practically led the entire game. The Suns’ bench led by Brandon Knight, Alex Len and Jared Dudley scored a combined 46 points. Dennis Schroder had a career-best 31 points in the loss.

Pacers 109 (9-10), Blazers 131 (10-10)

This game was the definition of a blowout. Indy never led by more than 3 points, and Portland had built a 28-point lead by the middle of the third quarter. It was a crucial win for the Blazers, who had suffered six losses in their last eight games. Dame Lillard led the way with 28 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.

What more can be said of Russell Westbrook? After Friday’s landmark effort- becoming the first player since Magic Johnson to record a 30-point, 18-assist triple-double- Russ did his thing again on Saturday, going off for a 17/15/13 triple-double in a win over Detroit. Westbrook has now tied LeBron James’ career triple-double total, needing 395 fewer games to reach the prestigious mark.

Warriors 115 (15-2), Timberwolves 102 (5-11)

An ankle injury may have sidelined Draymond Green for Saturday’s match-up with Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves, but the Warriors had more than enough offensive firepower to make up for it. Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry combined for 85 points, besting Zach LaVine (team-high 31 points) and the T’Wolves. Andrew Wiggins was just 6-of-15 from the floor, but pulled off one of the year’s most raucous poster jams:

The winningest road team in the NBA continued their roll, scoring 30-plus points in the second and third frames. Bradley Beal and John Wall (25 and 21 points, respectively) held up their end of the bargain, but Washington’s bench was just 8-of-24 from the field. It didn’t help matters that Markieff Morris, one of the team’s established veterans, was ejected early in the third quarter.

The Knicks put forth a durable effort at the Spectrum Center, but otherwise were unable to capture the magic of Friday’s overtime win against Charlotte. Kemba Walker scored a team-high 28 points and Frank Kaminsky added 14 (eight of which coming in the fourth quarter) to topple Kristaps Porzingis (25 points) and the Knicks. Joakim Noah- signed over the offseason on a $72 million contract- has yet to carve out a rotation spot under Jeff Hornacek. The former Florida Gator played just 12 minutes, grabbing three boards.

Now the Grizzlies’ head coach, Fizdale enjoyed a narrow victory thanks to 11 points from Mike Conley within the game’s final three minutes. Troy Williams, who had averaged just 8.7 minutes per game entering Saturday, helped out the offensive effort with 18 points. With Zach Randolph out indefinitely, Memphis will take offense wherever they can find it.

It took the Spurs a little bit of time to wake up for this early game in Boston. The Cs led by 14 in the first quarter thanks to a slow start from the Spurs’ starters. David Lee then led a big charge from San Antonio’s bench. The second unit finished with 56 points, including 15 points and 12 rebounds from Lee. With 19 from Patty Mills and a career-high 15 from rookie Davis Bertans, they outscored the Spurs starters.

The Celtics won the assist battle and had fewer turnovers than the Spurs, but they shot only 9 free-throws, compared to 25 from the silver & black. Isaiah Thomas had 24 and 8 for Boston, Jae Crowder chipped in 18 and Avery Bradley got 19 points and 8 rebounds.

John Wall jumped on the Magic early, helping the Wizards build a 26-7 lead. He had 5 dimes and 3 steals midway through the first. But Orlando slowly climbed back into the game by keeping the Wizards out of the lane after that big first quarter. Washington had just 10 free-throw attempts.

In the end, Wall proved too much for Orlando. He scored the final 8 points for the Wizards. The Magic had 19 turnovers and 18 assists. Serge Ibaka had 19 points and 4 blocks and Nik Vucevic had 17 points and 17 rebounds. Wall led the ‘Zards with 26 points and 10 helpers. All five starters scored in double-figures for Washington. Bradley Beal had a season-high 8 assists.

The Cavs are on fire. A game after scoring 40, Kevin Love led Cleveland with 27 points and 10 rebounds. He was backed up by 25 from Kyrie Irving and 19 points and 11 assists from LeBron James. The wine & gold led by as many as 45, limiting Dallas to 8-35 from downtown and 8-12 from the foul line. The Cavs made 20 threes and every player on their roster scored. Dirk Nowitzki had 15 for Dallas.

Knicks 113 (8-7), Hornets 111 (8-7)

There were 22 lead changes and 17 ties in this one. The Knicks led early, then the Hornets took control between the second and third quarters. During the fourth, they traded body blows, eventually needing overtime to decide a winner.

Carmelo Anthony stepped up for New York, registering a season-high 35, making the game-winner with 3 seconds remaining. The Knicks have now won six in a row at the Garden and three straight overall. The Hornets get a shot at revenge when they host the Knicks on Saturday night.

The Bulls ended their six-game road trip with a 4-2 record, capping off two weeks on the road with a wire-to-wire win against Philly. Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler both had 26. Rajon Rondo had team-highs in assists and rebounds, with 10 and 8, respectively. Without Joel Embiid (rest), the Bulls built the lead up to 28, giving their starters some much needed rest towards the end of this game.

Pistons 108 (8-9), Clippers 97 (14-3)

The Clippers suffered just their third loss of the season because of a balanced team effort from Detroit. The Pistons grinded their way to this win with 17 from Marcus Morris, 16 from Andre Drummond, Ish Smith and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 15 from Tobias Harris and 11 from Jon Leuer. They simply outplayed LA, earning this win with pure determination. The Pistons had more rebounds, three-pointers and steals, and fewer turnovers than the Clippers.

LA grabbed an 82-80 lead thanks to a JJ Redick barrage late in the third. But there was no way Detroit was losing this game, overcoming 24 from both Redick and Griffin, and a season-best 15 assists from Chris Paul.

The Hawks hadn’t scored fewer than 92 points all season. But Utah put the clamps on them. Atlanta also had season-lows in assists and field goals, getting only 11 dimes and 26 buckets. Dennis Schroder scored 16 for the Hawks, but needed 19 shots to do it.

Utah had their best defensive performance of the season, which is saying a lot. The Jazz currently have the second-best Defensive Rating in the League, trailing only the Hawks. The Jazz had 55 total rebounds, 9 blocks and 9 steals. It marked the third time this year that they’ve gotten at least 50 rebounds. They’ve won all three of those games.

Rudy Gobert had 5 rejections and Shelvin Mack had 4 takeaways. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz in scoring with 24, while George Hill had 23.

Somebody gotta stop DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in the clutch. DeRozan hit a downhill midrange jumpers with two defenders in his face, Lowry drilled a 27-footer with 1:06 left, then he got a steal to put the dagger in Milwaukee. The duo combined for 45 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. They scored Toronto’s final 13 points.

The Grizzlies inexplicably brought Mike Conley off the bench tonight in their loss to the Heat, citing minutes-management as the reason. Conley still led the team in scoring, but didn’t get any help. JaMychal Green was the only other member of the Grizz to score in double-figures. Without Zach Randolph (indefinite leave of absence to mourn the passing of his mother), Memphis didn’t have the firepower.

Tyler Johnson had 22 for Miami. Four other Heat players scored at least 10 points and Miami led for the whole game.

The Pacers are dealing with some major injury problems at the moment. Paul George sat out yet another game, and will miss the next three because of injuries to his left ankle and back. CJ Miles’ return is uncertain and Kevin Seraphin will also miss at least the next three games to rehab his sore knee. With three rotation players out, the Pacers used their depth to rout the Nets.

Glenn Robinson III made the most out of his second appearance in the starting lineup, dropping 20 points. Al Jefferson and Rodney Stuckey combined for 34 of Indiana’s 48 bench points. Myles Turner, Monta Ellis and Thad Young all scored at least 11 points.

After a close first quarter, the Pacers blew the game open and were up by as many as 31. Jeremy Lin hasn’t played since November 2 and his absence has really made a difference for the Nets, who have now lost six in a row.

Thunder 132 (9-8), Nuggets 129 (6-10)

Russell Westbrook put up yet another triple-double tonight, going for 36 points, 12 rebounds and an NBA season-high 18 assists. It’s his sixth of the season and 43rd of his career. He’s now sitting with season averages of 32 points, 10.9 assists and 9.8 rebounds. Yeah.

OKC had trouble putting the Nuggets away. Behind Wilson Chandler’s 32 points and a no-fear performance from 19-year-old Jamal Murray (20 points), Denver was able to keep Westbrook under wraps for three quarters. Even when Russ scored 24 points in the fourth and OT, the Nuggets were still right there, narrowly missing out on this win.

Wolves 98 (5-10), Suns 85 (5-12)

Zach LaVine had one of the best dunks of the season and the young Timberwolves were able to outlast the Suns for an impressive road victory, just their second win away from Target Center this season. Andrew Wiggins broke out of his three-game shooting slump to lead Minnesota with 25 points. Along with 22 from Karl-Anthony Towns, the Wolves pulled off a 23-point turnaround in the fourth quarter. The Wolves also got good minutes from Tyus Jones. The Suns committed a season-high 26 turnovers and scored only 10 points in the fourth.

Blazers 119 (9-9), Pelicans 104 (6-11)

This wasn’t an easy win for the Blazers. Anthony Davis and the Pelicans hung tough till late in the fourth, trailing 105-101. Then the Blazers responded with a quick 8-0 burst to seal the game. Davis went for 31 and 13. Jrue Holiday had 16 points off the bench. Langston Galloway and Terrence Jones helped New Orleans stick around, making timely buckets and key defensive stops.

Damian Lillard went off late in the third, pushing the Portland lead to 94-78. He finished with 27 points and 11 helpers. CJ McCollum had 24, Mason Plumlee had 12 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists, Mo Harkless had 19 points and 11 boards. Portland outrebounded New Orleans 52-34.

Warriors 109 (14-2), Lakers 85 (8-9)

No Nick Young, Julius Randle or D’Angelo Russell meant for trouble for the Lakers tonight. They played hard but Golden Sate’s on a roll. The Dubs last loss was on November 4, to the Lakers. They’ve seemingly figured out how to play together since then. Tonight, they had 31 assists on 43 field goals, getting 29 from Kevin Durant, 24 from Stephen Curry and 18 from Klay Thompson. That trio combined for 8 of GSW’s 11 triples on the night. Durant also chipped in a season-high 9 assists and 6 rebounds.

Jordan Clarkson had 20 for the Lakers. Luke Walton got great minutes of out Tariq Black and Thomas Robinson. They combined for just 14 points and 15 rebounds, but they infused LA with much needed energy and a willingness to compete.

Rockets 117 (10-6), Kings 104 (6-10)

The Rockets set a single-game NBA record with their 50 attempted three-pointers tonight. They made 21, paced by Trevor Ariza, who hit 6-11. Of the 10 Rockets that played, only Nene, Clint Capela and Montrezl Harrell didn’t make or attempt a three-ball. Everyone else hit at least one.

James Harden picked up his fourth triple-double of the season, getting 23, 10 and 10. He was one of seven Rockets to score in double-figures. Houston had 27 dimes on 40 baskets.

They held Sacramento to 9-32 shooting from outside. And though DeMarcus Cousins had 32, no other King had more than 12. Cousins made a career-best 5 three-pointers, but that couldn’t overcome the Rockets’ lead of as many as 29.

Carmelo Anthony had scored 33 points leading up to the final Knicks possession of Friday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. Melo and the Knicks were tied up with the Bees. That is, until Melo lifted up against Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to hit what would amount to be the game-winning jumper.

Melo finished with 35 points and 14 rebounds in 41 minutes. Even with all those minutes on his legs, he still had enough in the tank to help the Knicks pick up their third straight win.

Sure, Brandon Ingram’s pass may have been intended for Lou Williams, but Young has always played an “eccentric” brand of basketball. Nick’s shooting percentage is up to 48.7 in the month of November…let him shoot his shot!

Russell Westbrook will be saddled with the tough-luck loss after dropping 34 points, 13 dimes and eight boards on the Lakers. OKC will look to regroup against the Kings tomorrow night.

Knicks 107 (7-7), Trail Blazers 103 (8-8)

Kristaps Porzingis was a man on a mission Tuesday night, scoring 31 points on 13-of-23 shooting, including this posterizing dunk of Mason Plumlee:

Derrick Rose compiled a nice stat line (18 points, five dimes, two steals) along with a clutch step-back shot to seal the victory. It wasn’t exactly a banner night for C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard, tallying a combined 38 points on 14-for-35 shooting.

Pelicans 112 (5-10), Hawks 94 (9-5)

Sure, the Pelicans’ 5-10 mark is unimpressive at first glance, but this is a team that lost each of their first eight games this year. Alvin Gentry appears to have fit Tim Frazier into his regular rotation alongside Anthony Davis (13 points) and Jrue Holiday (15 points). Frazier stuffed his stat sheet in this road match-up, going off for 21 points, 14 assists and five rebounds.

Aside from Gucci Mane’s engagement, there wasn’t much to cheer about for Hawks fans. For what it’s worth, Kent Bazemore didn’t seem too fazed by his off-night (one point, one rebound, one assist on 0-6 shooting).

It’s early in the season, but Jamal Murray is already looking like one of the better values of the 2016 NBA Draft. Selected at #7, Murray has now exceeded 18 in three of his last five games, becoming a featured cog of Mike Malone’s rotation. In addition to Murray’s 24-point showing off the bench, Jusuf Nurkic compiled a double-double and Wilson Chandler added 16 off the bench. For Fred Hoiberg’s Bulls, Jimmy Butler’s 35-point showing wasn’t enough.

Anthony has previously made clear his aversion to the triangle and belief that Jackson is longwinded and says, “The first thing that comes to his mind.” That can include the word “posse” and, of course, in-depth lessons on his beloved offense.

As much as Jackson likes to tout his rings as a hall pass to meddling, Anthony preferred the team president kept out of the meeting between coaches and players that lasted about an hour. “There comes a point and time throughout the season where you have to re-evaluate things and step out of the situation, look into the situation, see what you can do better, look in the mirror at each other at yourself and see the things you can improve,” Anthony said. “I thought we did that (Saturday) and (on Sunday). I don’t want to say we won because of the meeting, but you clear the air like that and guys speak out and talk and they don’t have to hold it in. They don’t feel pressured in the open forum. Guys spoke and everybody responded.”

The Knicks grabbed a big 104-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks earlier today, thanks in large part to a 31-point outing from Carmelo Anthony. As usual, the lethal scorer got it done in a variety of ways, from punishing bigs inside to working the mid-range to raining deep threes.

For the fifth annual Week of Greatness, Foot Locker enlisted the help of the sports and entertainment world’s heavy-hitters. With Carmelo Anthony, Tom Brady and Ja Rule making fun of themselves, and Kyrie Irving making fun of society as a whole.

Check out the commercials and hit up Foot Locker this Saturday, when the Week of Greatness officially kicks off.

Melo also doesn’t like the use of the word “posse”—which he perceives as having racial undertones—in reference to James and his business associates.

Per the NY Daily News:

“There’s different words that different people use in different ways. To some people, the word ‘posse’ might not mean anything. It might just be a word. To some other people, it could be a derogatory statement. It all depends on who you mention it to, who you’re talking about,” Anthony said. “In this sense, he was talking about five black men. And do I think he meant it in any kind of way? I really don’t know. I don’t think he did. I would hope that he didn’t. Sometimes Phil just say things, and he say the first thing that come to mind. And he’s probably in his office right now regretting it. […] When it comes to Phil, you just never know what’s going to be said, what’s coming out. It depends on who’s listening. People take it the right way or people take it the wrong way. You just never know when it comes to Phil. I just don’t understand him talking about LeBron right now in November. I don’t understand that.”

“I would never want to hear that word about people I consider family and people that I’ve come up with and been through thick and thin with,” Anthony said. “I would want to be called a tight-knit group or a family, because that’s what I consider those people.”

“I know him personally,” Anthony said of James. “I know him very well. So for him to say that, whatever he said, whether he lost respect for somebody or not, he really means that. I know him. I don’t think he would just say something. Whatever was said, I’m pretty sure it hit home and he responded to it.”

The Knicks glued free agent acquisition Joakim Noah to the bench in the second half of last night’s victory.

Per the AP:

“Second half was really good. Coach made the decision to play small,” Noah said. “I didn’t get to play, everybody wants to play, but it’s good that we won. We found a way. It was much-needed.”

Anthony scored 17 in the third quarter and 20 in the second half after shooting 1 for 6 in the first half. Porzingis finished with 11 rebounds, though coach Jeff Hornacek doesn’t think his move to starting center is going to be permanent. […] “Just because it was good in the second half doesn’t mean we’re going to change it,” Hornacek said.

Harrison Barnes scored 20 points and J.J. Barea had 17 for the Mavericks, who are still without Dirk Nowitzki and Deron Williams.

PJ: “No. But when they run it I want them to run it the right way. If you are going to do it, use your skills and run it the right way. I’m not frustrated at all. Derrick Rose missed three weeks of training camp (because of a civil trial). It’s totally understandable where we are as a ballclub. We have guards that do a lot of stuff off the dribble. I want them to understand they can do things off the pass. It has to be a combination.”

Can the triangle still be effective in today’s game, which has gone the “space and pace” route?

PJ: “If you want to learn the fundamentals of the game, you don’t bypass any of the basics, like how to make a post pass, how to set up a screen, what pivots you can use to escape pressure and force defenses to react. What are the passing lanes? You have to acknowledge that. You have five players on the floor. If you are going to drive you have to know where players will be on the court. If you are going to make a pass you need space between players and have a certain amount of lanes open. Appropriate space between players is 12-to-16 feet. Eighteen-to-20 feet is a little long to make an appropriate pass. We’ve extended that to create long lanes to allow players to roll to the basket and stretch the floor.”

So, is it safe to say the Knicks will not be a “space and pace” team any time soon?

PJ: “It’s my feeling when everybody does the same damn thing it becomes, ‘Who has the best Rolls Royce? Who has the best, fastest stock car in this race we are running?’ So if you have LeBron, wow, we’re going to do the same thing even though we don’t have the Rolls Royce? You have to be unique. You have to have something no one else is doing to have genius in this game. It becomes an ownership. I don’t care about the triangle. I care about systematically playing basketball. If the spacing isn’t right, if guys are standing on top of each other, if there aren’t lanes to be provided, or rebounders available to offensively rebound the ball, or we don’t have defensive balance when a shot goes up, all of these things are fundamental basketball. I follow it. I’m not railing, ‘This is inadequate’ or ‘This isn’t right.’ Just show me what will work. Are we running around for no reason? Can we hit the first cutter? Do we have the ability to hit the second option or are we just bypassing plays so someone can hit a 3-point shot? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

The game’s most elite competitors have worn the Jordan Brand. The Brand takes time to remind us of that with their new short film, detailing the history of some of the best hoopers to wear the Jumpman.

DeMar DeRozan continued his lights-out shooting with a 33-point night, while Kyle Lowry pitched in 16 points. The Knicks have stumbled out of the gate to a 3-6 mark, despite 18 boards from Joakim Noah and 31 points from Carmelo Anthony. Frank Isola of the Daily News summed it up nicely:

The Wizards will be hard-pressed to compete without John Wall and Bradley Beal on the court.

Spurs 106 (7-3), Rockets 100 (5-4)

James Harden’s triple-double wasn’t enough to stave off Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs. As has been the case of late, coach Gregg Popovich has garnered as much attention for off-court remarks than his team’s first place start.

After missing the season’s first six games, it would have been easy to forget about Gordon Hayward’s impact on the Jazz. The 26-year-old has eclipsed 20 points in each of his five games since returning, however, lifting Utah to second place in the Northwest Division.

Miami, meanwhile, sputtered to their sixth loss of the season. With Beno Udrih on the sidelines, Erik Spoelstra had to get creative with his rotations; starting Josh Richardson at the point.

Clippers 119 (9-1), Timberwolves 105 (2-6)

Has anyone predicted this start from the Clippers? Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan each double-doubled in an impressive W over Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points, 10 boards) and the T’Wolves.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is on another level. The Greek Freak poured in 27 point with four steals and four blocks, while offseason acquisitions Tony Snell and Michael Beasley added a combined 28. Meanwhile, Vince Carter (17 points off the bench) showed he still has hops:

The #FreeAD campaign is only going to grow stronger with each Pelicans loss. Alvin Gentry’s squad allowed a 42-point fourth quarter from the Lakers, getting blown out by one of the league’s younger teams. Archie Goodwin appears to be a nice pick-up and Buddy Hield found his stroke in this one, but the Pels are otherwise going nowhere fast.

The Celtics continue to stay afloat without the services of Al Horford. Isaiah Thomas scored a game-high 23 points, knocking off the Paul George-less Pacers. James Young pitched in with 5-of-6 shooting from off the bench.

The Sixers felt Joel Embiid’s absence (night of rest), as they sunk to 1-8 against Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Hawks. Hardaway posted 20 points while Dwight Howard double-doubled.

Pistons 106 (5-5), Nuggets 95 (3-6)

The Nuggets received a stellar performance from Emmanuel Mudiay and a highlight-reel dunk from Danillo Gallinari, but the Pistons shot 51.1% from the floor in Saturday’s W. Jon Leuer pitched in with a double-double off the bench; the first double-double recorded by a Pistons reserve player this season.

Nets 122 (4-5), Suns 104 (3-7)

T.J. Warren’s breakout campaign continued with 18 points and three steals, but the Nets were led by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (20 points, double-double) and Joe Harris (career-high 19 points). Who would have guessed that the Nets would be outplaying the Knicks by this point of the year?

Update (November 13): Before last night’s game against the Raptors, Carmelo was asked about his wife’s comments that referee Tony Brothers has a personal issue with Anthony and the Knicks star said that whenever Brothers referees one of his games, “it’s something.”

At the start of Friday, the Sixers were the League’s last winless team. They’ve been without Ben Simmons, of course, and have had Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor playing restricted minutes. But throughout it all, they gave the Thunder a scare, almost beat the Magic and lost to the Cavs by 1. They were due for a win.

Riding 16 fourth quarter and overtime points from the Process, the Sixers outlasted the Pacers for a 109-105 victory tonight. Embiid did it all, even nailing a clutch three, on his way to 25 points in 25 minutes. Paul George played 40 minutes and scored 26 points, but he couldn’t get the Pacers over the hump.

The Wizards were without Bradley Beal in this one (strained hammy) and the Cavs took advantage. John Wall had 28 points, but only 3 assists, partly due to the Cavs defense. While JR Smith and his squad hit 14 shots from distance, the Wizards only made 3 from outside the arc. Smith hit 5 three-pointers, finishing with 17 points. Kevin Love had 14 and 16, while Kyrie Irving led the game in scoring with his 29 points. The night’s big story, however, was LeBron James reaching the 27,000 point plateau. Bronny, at 31, becomes the youngest to do it, surpassing Kobe Bryant who did it at 32-years-old.

The Hornets had a 10-point lead in the fourth, thanks to a monster game from Kemba Walker. The Bronx native had 40 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists tonight (first player in Hornets history with that line), up from his already impressive season averages of 24/3/6. Then the League’s leading scorer took over in the fourth, leading the charge to take the scoreboard with tough jumpers from all over the court. DeMar DeRozan finished at his season average of 34 points. He calmly stepped up in the game’s closing moments to deliver the dagger. Kyle Lowry had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to offset Walker. Both teams now sit at 6-2, tied with the Hawks for second best in the East.

In their fourth straight Eastern Conference road game, the Jazz looked gassed until the fourth quarter. Utah trailed by 4 heading into the fourth, but outscored the Magic 27-10 in the final period. The Magic shot just 33% from the field for the game. Evan Fournier (21 points) and DJ Augustin (19 points) were the only Magic players to score in double figures. For the Jazz, meanwhile, Rodney Hood scored 8 straight points to put the game out of hand, finishing with 13. He was flanked by 20, 10 and 8 from Gordon Hayward and 18 and 9 from Derrick Favors. Rudy Gobert also made sure to embarrass Nik Vucevic, for good measure. The Jazz ended up with 52 rebounds, a season-high for them.

It didn’t take long for the Knicks to spiral out of control after Carmelo Anthony got ejected from this one. They were down 44-38, with 4:44 left in the second when Melo got the boot. Then Isaiah Thomas ripped off a couple of threes and they were on the wrong end of a 61-51 halftime score. The Celtics pushed the lead to as much as 30 and held the ‘Bockers to 14 points in the fourth. Thomas had 29 for the C’s. Kristaps Porzingis had a team-high 14 points, but Derrick Rose’s 11 points and 6 assists were compounded by his 7 turnovers. Brandon Jennings was also tossed late in the fourth quarter. For the game, the Knicks were hit with 6 techs and had 25 total turnovers. Al Horford missed his fifth straight game (concussion protocol).

Look at the Clippers! Chris Paul’s squad owns the NBA’s best record and its best defense. 8-1 is also the best start in franchise history. Paul had 17 points, 10 dimes and 0 turnovers, his 20th career game with that stat line. He has the most 15+ points, 10+ assists, 0 turnover games of anyone since 1983. Blake Griffin scored 25 for the Clips. He was backed up by Jamal Crawford’s 19, which he scored in 21 minutes. Russell Westbrook had another crazy game, totaling 29 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists. This one was close throughout. The Clippers made 39 field goals, the Thunder made 38. Both teams had 45 rebounds and the whole thing came down to the last shot, a Westbrook three-pointer that missed at the buzzer. The Clippers got some revenge for losing to the Thunder earlier in the season.

Spurs 96 (6-3), Pistons 86 (4-5)

Pau Gasol had his best game of the season, scoring 21 points. He threw in 9 boards and 6 dimes, too, helping the Spurs pull away in this one. There were 10 lead changes and 8 ties, but the Spurs outscored the Pistons 26-15 in the third to take control. Kawhi Leonard had 17 points. Andre Drummond had 20 points and 17 rebounds. He was one of five Pistons to score in double figures. The Spurs ended their three-game home losing streak with this win.

Blazers 122 (6-4), Kings 120 (4-7)

Damian Lillard and DeMarcus Cousins were trading buckets in this one. Both faced double-teams all night and yet they both hit outrageous shots all night. Dame finished with 36 and 7 helpers, while DeMarcus had 33 and 9 ‘bounds. CJ McCollum added 31 for Portland, moving their record to 5-0 when he and Lillard each score 30+. DeMarcus hit scored 5 points in 30 seconds to push the game to OT, but the rest of the Blazers stepped up when called upon. Allen Crabbe had 16 points off the bench, Meyers Leonard contributed 11 big momentum points, Mo Harkless led the team in rebounding with 8 and Mason Plumlee contributed 7 assists. In total, there 14 lead changes and 11 ties. The Blazers used ball movement (29 assists compared to 18 for SAC) to offset the Kings rebounding attack (48 boards compared to 36 for POR).

Things were getting physical during the second quarter of Friday night’s Knicks/Celtics game. With 4:44 left in the first half, Carmelo Anthony was whistled for a loose ball foul while trying to box out Amir Johnson. Both Anthony and Johnson ended up on the floor, but it was Melo who was called.

Tony Brothers, the 22-year veteran, made the foul call. Needless to say, Melo was none too happy. He continued to yap in Brothers’ ear enough to get hit with a pair of technicals. It was his first ejection in four years.

Melo’s wife, La La Anthony, came to his defense on twitter, saying that Brothers whistled Melo for the two quick technicals because he has a personal issue against Melo.

Does [you and Porzingis playing well] make you feel good for the future, with all the talk about the Triangle this, the Triangle that, did you guys think—

Carmelo Anthony: “We’re just playing basketball. We’re making adjustments offensively regardless of what we’re running. At this point, I’m getting tired of hearing about the Triangle. Just getting tired of hearing about it.”

Hornacek has said that he’s implementing “principles of the triangle” offense into the Knicks’ half-court offense. But he also wants his club to try to generate offense early in the shot clock in transition, where pick-and-roll would be employed.

Players say that they’ve run the triangle offense primarily after dead balls so far this season, which is much less frequently than it was run during Jackson’s first two full seasons as team president.

The Knicks rank 13th in offensive efficiency thus far. A bigger issue for the club is on defense; it entered play Monday ranked last in the NBA in points allowed per 100 possessions, which is likely bothering Jackson just as much as the offense.

Heading into halftime, Portland faced only a six-point deficit and looked game against the defending Western Conference champs. Stephen Curry would take it to another level in the second half, however, piling on 23 third quarter points to rout Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers. Though Dame held up his end of the bargain with 31 points on 8-of-19 shooting, he must regret the timing of these remarks:

George Hill went off for 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting to hand his former team their first loss of the season. Derrick Favors was only able to play 16 minutes due to a minutes restriction, but the Jazz received solid performances in his stead from Rodney Hood (19 points) and Shelvin Mack (19 points on 6-of-9 shooting). San Antonio received 21 and 30 points from LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard, respectively. The Spurs will look to rebound against the Clippers on Saturday.

Last time Spurs lost by double digits at home was Jan 31st 2015 v. Clippers

Memphis was hard-pressed to compete in this one; head coach David Fizdale opted to rest Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, leaving the Grizzlies with few answers for Zach LaVine (31 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (first double-double of season). Kris Dunn, who received his first start over the injured Ricky Rubio, filled out his stat sheet nicely in the rout.

Kris Dunn's ball-hawking is a real thing. Already 5 steals and the 3rd quarter just started.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis went toe-to-toe in NOLA, with the Greek Freak (three dimes shy of a triple-double) emerging victorious. Jabari Parker dropped 21 points from Milwaukee’s starting five, and Malcolm Brogdon added 14 off the bench. Though Tim Frazier has been a welcome presence in Jrue Holiday’s absence, the Pels can’t find a way to build offense without Anthony Davis.

Heat 108 (2-2), Kings 96 (2-3)

DeMarcus Cousins committed six fourth quarter fouls en route to Sacramento’s overtime loss to the Heat. Goran Dragic spearheaded Miami’s offensive attack with 25 points, and Tyler Johnson added 22. Rudy Gay had a chance to beat the buzzer at the end of regulation, but instead this happened:

Joel Embiid was stellar yet again for the rebuilding 76ers, but Orlando managed to overcome an 18-point deficit to earn their first win of the season. Aaron Gordon took liftoff on a stunning 360 dunk, eventually finishing with seven points and four dimes.

Pacers 115 (2-2), Lakers 108 (1-3)

Paul George lit up the Lakers for 30 points on 8-of-16 shooting and C.J. Miles added 16 in Indiana’s second W of the season. He hasn’t had many opportunities to play this season, but Metta World Peace left his unique stamp on this game:

James Harden and Kyrie Irving dueled in the Cavs’ fourth straight win to open the season. The defending NBA champions received 19 points and 13 boards from LeBron James and 24 points from Kevin Love. Not only did Harden score 41 points with 15 dimes in the loss; he also committed just one turnover in 38 minutes.

If Damian Lillard can keep this up, he’ll have a legitimate claim for MVP candidacy. Dame torched Denver for 37 points with seven dimes, forcing overtime and then hitting the dagger with under five seconds left in the game.

The Nuggets received stellar play from their big men, as Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic scored a combined 35 points with 26 rebounds. Emmanuel Mudiay (21 points, seven boards, five turnovers) was unable to contain Dame or C.J. McCollum, however, which wound up being the difference.

Oddly enough, the game would be delayed 20+ minutes due to a power outage at the Pepsi Center.

Joel Embiid had another nice performance from the field, as “The Process” went 5-of-9 with a pair of blocks and a steal. The Sixers were otherwise outgunned in this afternoon match-up; Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap combined for 32 points, Mike Muscala and Kris Humphries swatted two shots each and Dennis Schroder double-doubled to lock up this one for Atlanta. Richaun Holmes provided the Sixers with some early fireworks with this alley-oop:

Celtics 104 (2-1), Hornets 98 (2-1)

Kemba Walker scored 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting in Charlotte’s home opener. Avery Bradley was determined to rain on the Hornets’ parade, however; dropping 31 points with 11 dimes in his first breakout performance of 2016-17. Coach Brad Stevens will have even more rotation options once Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk return from injury. Also worth noting: Gerald Green got some minutes off the bench.

Despite 22 points from Evan Fournier, 7-of-12 shooting from Serge Ibaka and four steals from Aaron Gordon, the Cavs remained undefeated thanks to a combined 43 points from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Not only did LeBron baptize Nikola Vucevic on a first quarter dunk, he also showed off his elite court vision with this dish to Mike Dunleavy:

Knicks 111 (1-1), Grizzlies 104 (1-1)

The Knicks didn’t disappoint in their home opener, riding a combined 41 points from Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis to victory. Similarly, Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah were contributors in a starting role. Rose dazzled the MSG crowd with this spin move on Mike Conley, and Noah collected 10 boards.

Despite 20 points from Marc Gasol and a near double-double from Z-Bo off the bench, the Grizzlies will look to regroup against the Wizards on Sunday.

Bulls 118 (2-0), Pacers 101 (1-2)

Doug McDermott outscored everyone at the United Center on Saturday, dropping a team-high 23 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Rajon Rondo distributed 13 assists in the W, and Isaiah Canaan added 11 points off the bench. Michael Carter-Williams has had a quiet tenure in Chicago thus far; totaling 12 points in his two games with the Bulls.

Myles Turner and Paul George scored 20 points apiece, but the Pacers were hamstrung by a combined 1-for-13 shooting performance from Monta Ellis and Jeff Teague.

Bucks 110 (1-1), Nets 108 (1-2)

Bojan Bogdanovic went off for 26 points and eight boards, not to mention this impressive dunk over Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks would rally behind 43 combined points from the Greek Freak and Rashad Vaughn to set up a dramatic game-ending from John Henson:

Tony Snell scored six points in his Bucks debut, and Matthew Dellavedova was one assist shy of a double-double.

Spurs 98 (3-0), Pelicans 79 (0-3)

Despite the absence of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in their home opener against New Orleans, San Antonio cruised to a 19-point behind 20 points from Kawhi Leonard. The Pelicans simply don’t have the depth to compete when Anthony Davis isn’t electric, and his 18-point night wasn’t enough on Saturday. Patty Mills racked up 18 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, and E’Twaun Moore scored 18 points for the Pels.

Kings 106 (2-1), Timberwolves 103 (0-2)

DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay combined for 57 points with 12 boards in Sacramento’s close win over Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves. Minnesota received a standout performance from Andrew Wiggins (29 points, one block), who has excelled under new coach Tom Thibodeau. Gorgui Dieng recorded a double-double, but the young Timberwolves are still winless on the season.

Wolves leave Sacramento with a bad loss and now Rubio has a sprained elbow. Tough start to the season for them.

In a great all-around night for Cleveland sports, LeBron James led the Cavs to an opening night rout of the Knicks. James recorded his 43rd career triple-double, and the league’s first opening night triple-double since Jason Kidd’s in 2006. Kyrie Irving dropped a team-high 29 points, receiving little resistance from New York.

Eight Knicks made their team debut Tuesday, and- as could be expected- Jeff Hornacek has some kinks to work out. Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah were each scoreless, and Derrick Rose turned the ball over four times. The Knicks will next play at home against Memphis on Saturday.

Trail Blazers 113 (1-0), Jazz 104 (0-1)

For the duration of the third quarter, it looked as though Utah could run away with their home opener in Portland. New acquisition George Hill had six dimes to go with his 19 points, Rodney Hood delivered a rim-rocking poster slam, and Joe Johnson was automatic (12-16) from the floor. Damian Lillard would rally the Trail Blazers in the fourth, however, to a captivating come-from-behind win. C.J. McCollum pitched in 25 points, and third-year player Noah Vonleh looked to have turned a corner with his 11-point showing off the bench.

After the early excitement of seeing Kevin Durant score his first points with Golden State, there wasn’t much to cheer about in Dub City. Kawhi Leonard dropped a career-high 35 points for San Antonio, LaMarcus Aldridge secured a double-double and Jonathan Simmons seemed to be a nuisance for Golden State all night.

Jeff Hornacek’s new-look Knicks rallied for a 10-0 run in tonight’s season opener against Cleveland. Three of the Knicks’ five starters are making their team debuts, and helped keep New York to within three points at the half.

Someone tell the guys from the Bulls to pass to Porzingis. That ain't Dougie McBucketts out there. It's the Zinger dammit.

“We have a lot of conversations,” James said Tuesday of his relationship with Anthony.

Did any of those talks center on Anthony coming to Cleveland? […] “Maybe. Maybe not,” James said.

Money isn’t the only obstacle. And it gets more complex with Anthony. He’s not a free agent. He won’t be until the summer of 2018, at the earliest. The same goes for James if he chooses to opt out of his contract early. Any possibility of bringing the lethal scorer to the Cavaliers prior to that would include a trade, a significant shakeup of the Eastern Conference’s best team and reigning world champions. It would most likely include (Kevin) Love.

Vice President of the National Basketball Players Association Carmelo Anthony shared his thoughts on how the D-League should factor into this new agreement, calling for a complete “rebrand” so that the league is not viewed as a “punishment”.

Anthony is clearly invested in increasing the job opportunities accessible to young athletes and in developing these athletes in the best way possible. The D-League has continued to expand the last couple years with an apparent goal of having one-to-one affiliations.

Anthony said a major issue he has been emphasizing in collective bargaining talks is increasing the number of “two-way contracts” that allow players to play for both D-League and NBA teams, thereby creating 44-60 more jobs. He said he also has been addressing increasing pay for D-League players to make it as lucrative to play domestically as abroad, and language that will encourage all 30 NBA teams to have a D-League affiliate.

The D-League will grow from 19 to 22 teams this year, but the players eventually would like to see all 30 teams with their own affiliate, Anthony said.

“I’m a big advocate of developing our own players. If you look at soccer, for example, a lot of those clubs have top-notch academies,” said Anthony, who co-owns a professional team in Puerto Rico. “By me being in soccer now, I’ve started to understand the dynamics of developing your own players. We’ve got to keep our players here. We don’t want them to have to go overseas.”

“It’s going to be a learning process. It’s a learning curve for him, too,” Anthony said. “Last year, no one knew what to expect from him. It was all new to everybody. This year he’s going to be a focal point in scouting reports and people are going to try to figure out ways how to stop him. So just a matter of being smarter and learning the game a little more maybe. He still don’t know the game that much. He’s still young. He’s a second-year player. I think you put too much pressure on him to be great so fast. I just want him to just to — give him an opportunity to grow as a player.”

“I understand his situation, I understand that the pressure that is put on him,” Anthony added, “because I feel I deal with those things.”

Teams were successful getting physical with Porzingis, shadowing him with Zach Randolph and Thaddeus Young. In Saturday’s preseason loss to the Celtics, he was guarded by high-motor 6-4 point guard Marcus Smart. […] “That’s one thing that I have to be ready for. They put him on me and soon as I got the ball, it was a double team,” said Porzingis, who was limited in practice Monday because of a groin strain but expects to play Wednesday at Boston. “So I don’t know if that’s what they’re going to do in the season but they tested it out during the preseason and I have to be ready for things like that, and I have to be ready to make plays not just for myself but for my teammates.”

They say that happiness equals reality divided by expectation—and that frustration is the product of the opposite—so let’s consider the graphic above, and the case of Carmelo Anthony. (Excuse the triangle.)

Anthony is one of the League’s best players, but he is not on par with LeBron James or Steph Curry or some others. He is a scorer, and though he is not a selfish player, his style has never produced great consistency or postseason success. It seems likely that Anthony will join the short list of all-time greats who never won a Championship. He will probably finish with, at worst, the 12th-most points ever scored.

That’s the reality.

So what about expectation?

Here in New York, Anthony is viewed as a frustrating underachiever by many (vocal) Knicks fans. This group has unrealistic expectations, and is distinctly furious and devoid of constructive ideas. They want to trade Melo, but they do not know who to acquire.

They believe that Melo is overpaid, but they do not know who to pay instead. They wish Melo hadn’t re-signed for five expensive years, but, of course, would despise him far more had he left via free agency to L.A. or Miami or Cleveland. This group wants to win—everybody does—but the Knicks never win, and the onus has fallen on Anthony alone.

The gap between this group’s expectation and the team’s reality consumes them—there is no place for Anthony’s reliably outstanding contributions to the team, the franchise and, in fact, the country.

The reality is that New York’s window was slammed shut three years ago by Roy Hibbert. Since then, expectations have remained high, but reality has torpedoed downward, at least for the Knicks as a whole, and if Melo’s success is measured in wins, then it has spiraled for him, too.

But light shone through last season, if you were willing to look. Kristaps Porzingis was spectacular in every way. Anthony played 72 games (at 35 minutes per) and averaged 21.8 points, 7.7 boards and 4.2 assists—the last a career-best, and a bit of proof, perhaps, of some untapped potential yet. Only Melo, Durant and Westbrook averaged 21/7.5/4. New York competed for half the season—40 games saw them ahead of even the Celtics in the standings. (They went 12-30 from there.)

This summer brought Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings to New York. The Knicks figure to play competitive if unspectacular ball all season—a classic sixth seed in the East. There will be fun nights: A Porzingis halftime stat line will have you sprinting home to flip on the game; Noah and Jennings will be doing JR-caliber wonky stuff all season.

Melo, meanwhile, will again be one of the League’s most productive forwards. He will have a month where he scores 28 or 34 every night, and he’ll sniff a triple-double every now and then. There will also be nights when his shot isn’t falling, when he’s the last to realize it, when he gives up a few easy buckets, when the team loses ugly. He is not a perfect player, but few ever were.

And so a fair set of expectations, which might blend with reality, is this: The Knicks hang with Toronto and Boston in the Atlantic for a good chunk of the season. At some point, New York gets hot, and Melo and Porzingis thrive in a way that makes you wonder if, just maybe, they can outlast the many pretty-good teams that fill the Eastern Conference to face Cleveland. Maybe the Knicks even top the Cavs in an early primetime game (December 7 on ESPN!) to really get the juices flowing.

There’s some potential here, maybe not for a title, but for a relevant, fun season. Sam Hinkie will tell you that a playoff push ain’t worth shit, but I’ll take six months of watching entertaining ball over five years of reading Joel Embiid’s Instagram comments any day, and twice on gameday. This year, the Knicks will be worth their fans’ time. Melo will lead the charge.

Lin and his former Knicks teammate squared off in a preseason tilt this past weekend.

Per the NY Post:

“He is the face of their franchise – believe it or not,” Anthony said after Friday’s practice. “He came up, they paid him. Now the ball is in his hands. Now he’s one of the franchise players over there. I don’t know what you want me to say about that. I’m happy for him, excited for him to see how it’s going to turn out over there.”

It’s no secret the chemistry between Anthony and Lin during “Linsanity” in 2012 left a lot to be desired, and the dynamic came up again last month when former Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said on a Vertical podcast Anthony didn’t “adapt” well to Lin’s rise.

“That was five, six years ago, bro,” Anthony said. “I forgot about that.”

The 2016-17 season promises to be a good one. With the new-look Warriors, the Cavs trying to repeat, the first campaign in years without Kobe, Timmy, or KG, and the revenge of Russell Westbrook, there are too many story lines to get excited about.

The NBA’s biggest stars are also excited. The League grabbed players from each team to talk about it. Check the video up top to see names like LeBron, Carmelo, CP3, Curry and Gregg Popovich (of course) share what they’re looking forward to.

“Definitely making two teams coming together, you know,” Noah said. “We understand there’s a lot of issues in this country and we wanted to show solidarity and we wanted to show that we’re all in this together.”

New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose is having a bit of trouble picking up the nuances of the Triangle Offense, and team president Phil Jackson was less than impressed while watching the squad practice his baby.

Derrick Rose said Phil Jackson got up during practice to teach a lesson because they didn't feed the post: "He came over, kind of grumpy."

The point guard said Thursday he had no previous knowledge of Phil Jackson’s offense except for the little experience playing the Lakers. And when the Knicks began their in-depth triangle teaching at the second session of Wednesday’s training camp, Rose discovered, “there’s like 40 to 50 options on one side of the floor. […] “It’s complicated a little bit right now because it’s new to us. It’s foreign,” Rose said. “But I think the more we work on it and the way the coaches are putting it into the offense, it’s a little bit easier.”

Rose said he has not yet had a conversation with Jackson about the triangle and, “I don’t want to bug him about it.” With Jeff Hornacek taking control, Jackson’s input during training camp has been limited while his offense is installed.[…] “(He spoke to us) a few times. He got mad at us one time because we were running the offense and we didn’t throw the ball into the post,” Rose said. “He came over, kind of grumpy a little bit. That was my first time ever seeing him like that.”

Rose, who grew up in Chicago and views Jackson as “a legend,” said tips on the triangle from his agent BJ Armstrong could only be so helpful. […] “Me and BJ are two different players. He was a shooter. Like I’ll knock down shots but my game is playmaking and I just hoop,” Rose said. “Like I’ll find a way to get it done. So BJ’s job was just to give Mike (Jordan) the ball and get out the way. I didn’t want to say it like that but that was his job. He tells me about (the triangle). He told me they had the personnel for it back when they played and I feel like we have the same personnel.”

“It’s not easy,” Van Gundy, an ex-Knicks coach, said. “Listen, I think they’re going to be 45 to 50 [wins], low 50s, in that range.”

“I think there’s a lot [of factors] that are sure things,” Van Gundy continued. “I think [Joakim] Noah is going to be a sure thing as far as how he plays. [Kristaps] Porzingis is going to have a better second year than he had as a rookie. I think he’ll be outstanding. [Carmelo] Anthony I think is going to be very, very good. Courtney Lee is going to be excellent as a glue type of guy in their starting lineup.

“I think a lot comes down to [Derrick] Rose’s health and play and then the bench. It will be interesting to see how that works out. But I certainly believe their starting lineup has the potential to be a 50-game winner without question.”

Carmelo Anthony, who was playing in his fourth Olympic Games, led the United States to a gold medal. In doing so, Anthony became the first men’s basketball player to be on three gold medal-winning teams. […] “Carmelo was the unquestioned leader of this team,” Boeheim said Tuesday. “I thought he did a great job.”

Boeheim knew that Anthony had suffered through the last few seasons on mediocre New York Knicks teams. The Olympics, Boeheim felt, would be good for his former star. […] “I think it meant a lot to him because he’s had a couple bad years obviously in New York,” Boeheim said. “The reason I wanted him to go was to have a good basketball experience for himself and to be the leader of this team, which we felt we needed with all the other veteran guys either being hurt or just choosing not to play. I think it was important for him to go. He did a great job. He really did a great job throughout the whole tournament.”

“He’s unlikely to win an NBA title,” Boeheim said. “He’s never been on a team that even had a remote chance of winning an NBA title. As a player, all you can do is try to make your team better and every team he’s been on he’s made them a lot better. Denver hadn’t done anything prior to him getting there and he took them into the playoffs. They weren’t going to beat the Lakers or the Spurs. In those years, they won the championship most of the time. […] But he’s always made his team better. It’s obvious. You look back on your total basketball experience and he had a great high school team, he won the NCAA championship and he’s won three gold medals in the Olympics. That’s a pretty good resume.”

“To go home as gold medalists and leave Coach K off with another gold was one of our main goals as well,” Durant told reporters. “I’m excited we got the chance to do this and play with such great players, and I’m on cloud nine right now for sure.”

The rout capped a brilliant tenure as Team USA head coach for Krzyzewski, who signs off after guiding the U.S. to three consecutive Olympic gold medals and an astounding 88-1 record in international competition.

The game was also the last for captain Carmelo Anthony, who embraced Krzyzewski on the sidelines when he was substituted in the final minutes. […] U.S. basketball’s only four-time Olympian, Anthony exits with three gold medals and a pack of U.S. team records. […] “I think I’ve given enough to Team USA basketball,” said Anthony. “As much as I’m going to miss it, I think it’s time to pass it on to some of the guys who have been on the team this year. So for me, I’m hanging these things up U.S. basketball-wise.”

Carmelo Anthony is going for his fourth Olympic medal and third Gold in the Rio Olympics.

In a 98-88 win over Australia in Rio, Melo finished with 31 points, and passed both David Robinson and LeBron James to become USA Basketball’s all-time leading scorer.

Melo made his Olympic debut as a 20-year-old in Athens and was a part of the infamous team that won Bronze in 2004. But he came back in 2008 as one of the leaders of the “Redeem Team” that dominated its way to the Gold in Beijing.

Of course, Melo was able to notch his second Gold in London in 2012, and has his sights on a third in Rio in 2016.

While he’s always been a top player in the League, Carmelo’s game seems perfectly suited to the international style of play. With a knock-down jumper and a poetic post game, Anthony will go down as one of the best to ever don “USA” across his chest.

“Most athletes don’t have an opportunity to say that they won a gold medal, better yet three gold medals,” Anthony said. “I would be very happy walking away from the game knowing that I’ve given the game everything I have, knowing I played on a high level at every level: high school, college, won [a championship at Syracuse] in college and possibly three gold medals.

“I can look back on it when my career is over — if I don’t have an NBA championship ring — and say I had a great career.”

A 13-year NBA veteran who has starred for the Knicks for the past six seasons, Anthony won gold with the United States in 2008 and 2012 after a disappointing bronze medal in 2004. […] “Of course, because we play in the NBA that’s always the goal: to win an NBA championship,” Anthony said. “But every year [there’s] a new champion, so you have an opportunity to compete for a championship every year. This is every four years.”

Irving, who was born in Australia, added 19 points and hit a dagger three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to settle matters.

Per the AP:

A team that won its first two games by a combined 101 points could never get a comfortable lead — and for a while couldn’t get one at all. The Australians, with big bodies inside, quality point guards to counter the American pressure and a wealth of NBA championship experience, stood toe to toe with the team that had blown them out of the last two Olympics in the quarterfinals.

“It got real,” Paul George said. “It definitely got real.” […] But Anthony, the most experienced U.S. player, the first male to play in four Olympics, steadied the Americans in the first competitive game most of this new team had never experienced.

Patty Mills scored 30 points for Australia. […] After blowouts of China and Venezuela to open the tournament, the Americans trailed 72-70 with about 9 minutes left. Anthony scored to tie it, hit a 3-pointer to give the Americans the lead for good, and then hit a couple more 3s that pushed it to 83-76.

In its third game of the Olympics, Team USA founds itself in a dogfight against Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and the Australians. The Boomers led the Americans 54-49 at half, with Mills dropping 15 in the first two quarters. Australia also held multiple seven-point leads in the first half. And for the second straight game, the Americans looked flustered when they weren’t able to establish their lightning quick pace.

Carmelo Anthony was the only player who showed up for Team USA in the first half. He scored 14 in the first quarter, drilling the first three 3s of the game for the red, white and blue. Late in the first, he passed LeBron James for first on the Americans’ all-time Olympic scoring list. In the Team’s first three games, he’s left David Robinson, Michael Jordan and James in the dust.

Even behind 17 first-half points from Anthony, Team USA couldn’t figure out how to solve the Boomers. “They’re a physical team,” Melo told NBC. “They made some tough shots.”

Team USA opened the third on a 9-0 run. Just like in their game against Venezuela, it took them until the third to stop settling for jumpers. They also began to move the ball a little bit and stopped relying on crazy, 1-on-1 shot making. DeAndre Jordan also continued to step up, filling in for the foul-plagued DeMarcus Cousins. Boogie only played 10 minutes.

With a 70-67 lead going into the fourth, Carmelo stepped up big time. He had 14 of America’s 28 fourth-quarter points. He showed no fear or panic. Kyrie Irving, who had the rest of the 14 points for America said he was just following Anthony’s lead.

“He’s a great player,” Irving said on NBC after the game. “The leader on this team. When you have a leader like that that’s just gonna leave it all out on the floor, no matter what possession is going on out there on the floor, he just stayed resilient. He’s our rock. He’s gonna hold us down.”

“We knew it was a big game,” Anthony said after finishing with 31 points and 9 threes. “We knew what kind of situation we were coming in to. A tough, physical game, a grind out game. The Aussies hung tight, they played a great game. I think one of their best games of the tournament. I don’t think we played our best game but we buckled down when we needed to.”

Kevin Durant received a hero’s welcome in his Oracle Arena debut, and finished with 13 points.

Per the AP:

Cheered all night long by his basketball-crazed new fan base, Durant knocked down a 3-pointer on the Americans’ first touch and slammed home a dunk the very next time down the floor. […] Then, another pretty one-handed jam just a few minutes after that. He scored the first 10 points for the United States.

What a performance for Golden State’s newest big star to help lead the U.S. Olympic team past China 107-57 on Tuesday night for a third dominant victory in as many exhibition games. […] “It was amazing. The atmosphere was great, energy was great. The fans showed me major love, so I appreciate that,” he said. “It was good to get out there in front of them and play well.”

Booed in Los Angeles a couple days back, Durant received a far friendlier reception in the Bay Area he will now call home. He emerged for pregame warmups to huge roars. He departed the court before the game to a swarm of autograph hounds hanging over the railings in the tunnel — and kindly obliged. One person held a sign that read, “KD is not a Villain.” […] “Certainly you wouldn’t want to be introduced after KD in line,” said coach Mike Krzyzewski, noting Durant’s big defensive strides. “The crowd, the welcoming for Kevin was fantastic. I know he appreciated it very much.”

Carmelo Anthony praised Michael Jordan for making a strong public statement on the growing racial and social unrest in the U.S.

Melo is proud of his Jordan Brand boss for “put his money where his mouth is at“—Jordan pledged a total of $2 million to a couple of organizations working to build trust between the police and their communities.

Carmelo Anthony on Michael Jordan's statement today. "I thought it was brilliant and about time he stepped up." pic.twitter.com/D3htGey0MI

With only a few spare hours Monday before jetting off to continue the Americans’ pre-Olympic tour, Anthony gathered basketball stars, community leaders and police officers to speak with teenagers and young adults about the importance of respect, communication and safety. Roughly 200 people came together for the meeting, and Anthony believes everyone left with something to contemplate.

“We really got a lot of messages out of today,” Anthony said. “Hopefully we can continue this dialogue, and we created something today that will continue on.”

Anthony shares many Americans’ profound disquiet with gun violence after this year’s series of increasingly dismaying shootings. With both the men’s and women’s Olympic teams in Los Angeles at the same time, the New York Knicks star recruited fellow Olympian Tamika Catchings and other like-minded athletes at the Challengers Boys and Girls Club to begin a badly needed nationwide conversation. […] “There were some very, very powerful messages that were being talked about,” Anthony said. “Not just amongst us as athletes, but among the youth. The youth really spoke out today about how they feel about their community, how they feel about police officers, how they feel about relationships and how we can mend these relationships.”

The NBA-run league has fined the Liberty, the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever $5,000 each and their players $500 for wearing all-black warm-up shirts during pregame shooting drills, instead of their normal uniform tops. The players appeared to be wearing all-black shirts to protest recent police-involved shootings of black men. […] “I don’t see no reason to fine them,” Anthony said before Thursday’s U.S. Olympic team practice at UNLV. “If anything you should want to support them. I don’t know details, but don’t see a reason to fine them.”

“A bunch of teams did it,” Anthony said. “Everyone has their own freedom of speech if they decide to use the platform. I don’t see no reason for anybody to get fined. We did it [3 ¹/₂ years ago after the Trayvon Martin shooting]. The NBA did it. The NBA was very supportive. I don’t see any difference in this matter. Right now the players have a very strong stance in what they believe in right now. I don’t think anyone should be fighting that at this moment.”

Earlier this week, Anthony said he was planning a “town hall meeting” when the Olympic squad hits L.A. for more practices and an exhibition game. Anthony said the meeting, tentatively scheduled for Monday, likely will be an invitation-only event and closed to the media and general public. Anthony said his “team” is in L.A. canvassing communities on what topics should be broached. […] “Still organizing, [but] I don’t want to call it a town hall,” Anthony said. “I like to call it more a conversation. We want to get some of the local politicians. We want to get youth, kids, adults, officers, teachers, community leaders and athletes just there having this conversation and this talk. Both sides hearing each other out.”

Q: Knicks fans always hear about the Triangle offense. How do you think your game fits into what the Knicks are doing offensively? Or do you think the way you guys will play is even the Triangle like we’re used to hearing and thinking about it?

ROSE: “Of course, when you think about the Triangle you might think about an old-school type of way of playing basketball. Not to say it is old school, but it helped certain teams and worked out for certain teams. With us, with all the pieces that we have, it kind of fits us almost to a T. Because you have [Carmelo Anthony], you have [Kristaps Porzingis] who can post up a lot. If they was to put me in that position that would be my first time having an isolation at the elbow, or just having an isolation period. It can work that way. Then you think about the Triangle for playoffs, the Triangle for halfcourt basketball. I talked to Coach [Jeff Hornacek], and he was saying with the Triangle he would have to vary the Triangle to have a lot of pick and rolls in there at the top of the key or on the side. So it’s really whatever they decide to do, and I have to find my way around it. This is the first time I think the Triangle will really ever have an athletic point guard in that position. So who knows? All I have to do is make sure my catch-and-shoot is pretty good with this team, and like I said, be prepared.”

Q: Knicks fans always have high expectations, sometimes maybe not even grounded in reality over the years. Before last season, Melo came out on media day and talked about managing expectations with such a young team. But with this roster now and all these veterans, what should the expectations be for the Knicks?

ROSE: “They’re high. I mean, with these teams right now, they’re saying us and Golden State are the super teams, and they’re trying not to build that many super teams, and Adam Silver came out with the statement and this and that. And the expectations I think of us, we just want to win. Talking to Melo and all the guys who’ve been around. You’ve got [Brandon Jennings] who just signed for one year, he’s got to show why he’s there. I’ve got to show why I’m there. [Joakim Noah] has to show why he’s there. Everybody’s trying to prove themselves. When you’ve got a group like that, it’s like, alright, I know everybody wants to do that, but we’re going to break this down as simple as possible, and try to win every game. I think winning takes care of every category, as far as being an athlete. You look at endorsements, being on the floor, almost everything — I think winning takes care of all that. And if you’re in the league, winning takes care of all the mistakes, or if you have any problems on teams.”

“There was a chance,” Anthony said on Wednesday. “There was definitely a chance. We would have had to pull a rabbit out of the hat in the 25th hour. But there was a chance. I think if it was maybe two days earlier we probably would have had D-Wade.”

It marked the second straight year that Wade briefly considered joining his good friend Anthony in New York. […] In fact, Anthony, Wade, LeBron James and Chris Paul or “The Brotherhood” as they call themselves have all hinted in the past that they’d like to be on the same team.

LeBron, Wade and Paul can all become free agents on July 1st, thus paving the way for them to become teammates in Cleveland, Los Angeles or even New York. […] “A Super team?” Anthony said following Wednesday’s U.S. practice. “I don’t know. You never know what can happen these days. Everything is different these days. I just want to get through this season first. I want to start this season and enjoy the new Knicks that are on the team. This is a new era for us. I think it’s going to be exciting for us.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/carmelo-anthony-knicks-chance-sign-dwyane-wade/feed/0SLAMonlineCarmelo Anthony: ‘We Have A Very Special Team On Paper Right Now’http://www.slamonline.com/nba/carmelo-anthony-knicks-look-real-good-paper/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/carmelo-anthony-knicks-look-real-good-paper/#respondTue, 19 Jul 2016 16:00:53 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=404783

Carmelo Anthony no-so-subtly urged the Knicks’ front-office to make a splash this summer, and Phil Jackson came through for his All-Star forward. Melo says he’s thrilled with New York’s acquisitions

Saying Jackson “stepped up,’’ Anthony called the Knicks “a playoff team,” adding the group is “a very special team on paper” and has its “competitive edge” back.

It’s as adamantly positive as Anthony has been since the Knicks came off their 54-28 season in 2012-13. Speaking after the first day of training camp for the U.S. Olympic Team, Anthony made no bones about feeling the club should break its depressing three-year playoff dry spell.

“The time is now for us,” Anthony said Monday. “The time is now for the city and the fans. The time is now. Everybody is tired of waiting and waiting. Now it’s time we can go out there and put a competitive team [on the floor]. For me, the time is now. For us as city and an organization, that should be the mindset — the time is now.”

Last year, Carmelo Anthony joined protestors in the streets of Baltimore as they marched against police brutality. Anthony was recently back in his old stomping grounds—catching up with friends, family

Citing athletes who stood for civil rights like Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown, and Arthur Ashe, the superstars said they would follow in their predecessor’s footsteps and be this era’s face of change. Sending a message to all the other athletes in the crowd and watching at home, the foursome challenged them to get involved in the communities that raised them and be a catalyst for change.

The horrible events that resulted in the deaths of two young black men at the hands of police officers and five police officers at the hands of a crazed shooter in Baton Rouge, LA, Falcon Heights, MN and Dallas, TX has divided the nation.

First off let me start off by saying ” All Praise Due To The Most High.” Secondly, I’m all about rallying, protesting, fighting for OUR people. Look I’ll even lead the charge, By Any Means Necessary. We have to be smart about what we are doing though. We need to steer our anger in the right direction.

The system is Broken. Point blank period.

It has been this way forever. Martin Luther King marched. Malcolm X rebelled. Muhammad Ali literally fought for US. Our anger should be towards the system. If the system doesn’t change we will continue to turn on the TVs and see the same thing. We have to put the pressure on the people in charge in order to get this thing we call JUSTICE right. A march doesn’t work. We tried that. I’ve tried that. A couple social media post/tweet doesn’t work. We’ve all tried that. That didn’t work. Shooting 11 cops and killing 5 WILL NOT work.

While I don’t have a solution, and I’m pretty sure a lot of people don’t have a solution, we need to come together more than anything at this time. We need each other. These politicians have to step up and fight for change.

I’m calling for all my fellow ATHLETES to step up and take charge.

Go to your local officials, leaders, congressman, assemblymen/assemblywoman and demand change. There’s NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore. Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge. We can’t worry about what endorsements we gonna lose or whose going to look at us crazy. I need your voices to be heard. We can demand change. We just have to be willing to. THE TIME IS NOW. IM all in. Take Charge. Take Action. DEMAND CHANGE.

Some believe Jim was so blatantly confident because he figured LeBron James was coming to the Lakers as a free agent that summer. […] Indeed, his father had shot for the stars often and hit. So why wouldn’t it happen again?

So Jim told people that Carmelo Anthony was coming the next summer. He told people that (Dwight) Howard was staying the previous year. […] He told people as soon as the Lakers’ recent season was winding down that Kevin Durant was coming this summer…with Russell Westbrook the next.

The Thunder and the 73-win Warriors are perceived as the top contenders to snag Durant, and the Knicks are considered long shots. They weren’t on the original meet-and-greet list of six teams that has circulated. But the Knicks hope he will add them now that Phil Jackson has added marquee point guard Derrick Rose to the mix with Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis for new coach Jeff Hornacek.

Durant didn’t rule out a meeting. “Obviously, they have a good team now with D-Rose and Melo and Porzingis,” Durant said. “I’m going to talk to my team and we’ll figure things out.”

Like Durant, Anthony is very pleased that Rose is coming to the Garden. […] “Nobody expected that, so that was a good first step for us,” Anthony said. “ … I thought we had to step up to the plate and make a splash some kind of way.”

KD has been in New York for the past week to promote his new sneaker, the KD9, and for Team USA meetings, photo opportunities and media responsibilities. The trip to NYC has opened the door for Melo to recruit the superstar free agent before the calendar hits July 1.

New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony told ESPN on Monday that his recruitment of marquee free agent Kevin Durant has already begun and will not be affected “whether [Durant] meets with the Knicks or not.”

“I do consider myself part of the Knicks,” Anthony continued, “so that meeting has already taken place.”

Free agency doesn’t officially start until Friday at 12:01 a.m., but the league office typically does not police such player interactions, since Anthony and Durant are obviously longtime friends who stay in frequent contact during the season.

“Melo has been my friend since I have been in high school. We talk about everything,” Durant said. “That is like my big brother right there. The best thing about all of us, none of the guys here have put any type of pressure. It has been cool.”

USA Basketball unveiled the star-studded 12-man roster representing the 2016 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team at the Rio Olympics this summer Monday morning. The squad features six Olympic and/or FIBA

“I think I can speak for the entire coaching staff and say we’re extremely excited about the team we will field for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,” said Jerry Colangelo, who has served as managing director of the USA Men’s National Team since 2005. “I love our depth, which is another indication of the depth of talent our national team program is blessed with. We’ve got a great mix of talent, scorers, past gold medal winners and outstanding youth.”

The U.S. roster features the return of two members from the 2012 gold medalist U.S. Olympic Team (Anthony and Durant) and five players who have been members of USA World Cup gold medalist teams; Cousins (2014), DeRozan (2014), Durant (2010), Irving (2014) and Thompson (2014).

Carmelo Anthony’s brand new soccer club, Puerto Rico FC, is all set to play its first ever game on Saturday evening at St. John’s in Queens. PRFC will host the Puerto Rican National Team at Belson Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. EST.

Melo has been adamant about his pride for Puerto Rico, where his father’s from. He’s also been extremely active off the court as his career has gone on. From the Jordan Brand to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Melo has kept it movin’. He’s also trying to get the Knicks back to the Playoffs.

SLAM caught up with the nine-time All-Star in Manhattan ahead of this weekend’s match on Saturday and Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday. Anthony’s remained involved, he says, in every aspect of hiring a coaching staff, finding people to run the front office and putting players on the pitch.

His pride for Puerto Rico and New York are driving him to bring his squad up to the city.

“This is not a big, extravaganza game,” Anthony says. “This is just something that I wanted to put together for the Puerto Ricans that are here in New York to get an understanding of what we have going on down on the Island. I realized that soccer is the fastest growing sport in this world.”

Melo has his sets sight on today and tomorrow. He’s present, not only for PRFC, but for the Knicks. He also knows he has to be ready for when he hangs up his Js.

“That’s my aspiration, to own a basketball team,” Anthony says. “I’ll work on that when I’m done. But right now, for me to still be a current player in my own game, in my own league, to be an owner in another league, it honestly don’t get better than that.”

Jackson offered his bullish stance on the Knicks’ playoff chances in an interview with WNBC-TV. He was asked by the interviewer if he believed the Knicks could make the postseason and “maybe go even further.” […] “Why not?” Jackson said. “I don’t know what’s so great about what’s out here in the East. We can fill that role.”

Jackson was asked in the interview with WNBC-TV if he thought it was “realistic” to think the Knicks could make the postseason in 2016-17. […] “I think so. I think we’re getting experience. Kristaps [Porzingis] is still a young player; he may need another year of experience,” Jackson said. “But we have some experienced guys who can play.”

Jackson also said Monday that the spacing in the Knicks’ triangle offense needed to be tweaked to adjust to the prevalence of the 3-point shot in today’s NBA. […] “The 3-point line has become our affection, because it means more when we make a 3-point shot. So the spacing has changed dramatically,” Jackson said. “So the triangle can still be a part of that, but it has to adapt.”

Kobe Bryant is joined by a pair of Knicks stars (Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis), along with two NYC legends (Spike Lee and Walt “Clyde” Frazier) in a promo for the “Ghostbusters” movie that aired Thursday night during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Melo, KP, Spike and Clyde team up to defend MSG against ghosts; The Black Mamba takes care of L.A.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/media/slam-tv/kobe-bryant-carmelo-anthony-kristaps-porzingis-star-ghostbusters-promo/feed/0SLAMonlineCarmelo Anthony on if Knicks Asked His Opinion Before Hiring Jeff Hornacek: ‘Whatever Phil Did, He Did on His Own’http://www.slamonline.com/nba/carmelo-anthony-on-if-knicks-asked-his-opinion-on-head-coachign-hire-whatever-phil-did-he-did-on-his-own/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/carmelo-anthony-on-if-knicks-asked-his-opinion-on-head-coachign-hire-whatever-phil-did-he-did-on-his-own/#respondSun, 22 May 2016 18:38:16 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=398607

Melo calls the Knicks' new head coaching hire a "new opportunity, something new to play with, something fresh, a clean plate."

During an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” Thursday, New York Knicks All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony was asked if he believes he’s a better scorer than both LeBron James and Stephen Curry, and he (of course) answered in the affirmative.

Carmelo Anthony tells @dpshow he believes he's a better scorer than LeBron or Curry …. he feels he has to have that mindset.

If there was any hope from frustrated Knicks fans that an abundance of defeats would alter Jackson’s inflexibility, the team president crushed that very quickly. […] “That’s what I was brought here for to do – build a system. That’s all part in package of what we’re doing.”

“There are critics? Who are these people? Why would people even say that? Do they have 11 championships to show you when they talk about that?” he said. “They got a lot of excuses. That’s the way it is. That discussion doesn’t have to go on.”

“Only people I probably know will be in the interview process. I will reach out to make connections to some people. But I’ve been in this position, in the NBA over 50 years, and I’ve seen a lot of situations where coaches end up coming in without simpatico with the general manager and those things don’t work well,” he said. “So someone who has compatibility with what I do as a leader would have to be in sync with what we do. A lot of your speculations that people have thrown out really have very little bearing on what we do. If you want to save either paper space or speculation, limit your speculations, that’ll help out a lot.” […] That certainly leaves out Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Patrick Ewing. It also certainly includes interim coach Kurt Rambis, who currently is Jackson’s lone candidate. Other coaches with the requisite Zen Master familiarity include Brian Shaw and Golden State assistant Luke Walton. David Blatt has been reported as a potential candidate, although he doesn’t have a relationship with Jackson.

Kurt Rambis said on Wednesday that he wants to be a head coach in the NBA and wants the interim tag removed from his title with the Knicks. Anthony said he “would love to have” some say in who president Phil Jackson picks to coach the team. Anthony also wants input on what players the Knicks pursue this summer. (LeBron) James has that kind of power with the Cavaliers.

“I think you have to have some type of input,” Anthony said on Wednesday. “Whether it’s input or dialogue, whatever word you want to use, I think you have to have that. I think at this point there needs to be some type of connection, some type of communication especially if we want to right this ship. There definitely needs to be some type of communication.”

“I like Kurt,” Anthony said. “I thought he was kind of thrown into a tough situation with the firing of (Derek Fisher) and gathering the troops and getting guys to play and finish the season out. As far as what’s going to happen this summer, this offseason and next year who’s going to be in that spot, I have no idea. I haven’t had any conversation with anybody about that. I’m pretty sure they’ll address when the offseason comes. […] I would love to have some type of input when it comes to that. (But) like I said nobody has had any conversation about that.”

As the oldest guy on Team USA, Anthony is gunning for his third men’s basketball gold medal — which would set a record.

“From a morale standpoint as a player, if you’ve been through the things I’ve been through the past couple of years, you want to feel what that success feels like,” Anthony said. “The Olympics for me is great timing for me, especially coming off this season and injuries, and mentally it’s good for me to get out there and feel what that feels like again.”

Though he didn’t look as athletic, Anthony said he is satisfied to have missed just eight games this season after hearing doctor’s warnings about the first year back from a torn patellar tendon. The Knicks were 0-8 in those contests. […] “For me and people who know what I had to go through to get back in time to be ready for the first game, realizing and coming to grips it’s a long season, I wasn’t going to get everything back in a week or two” Anthony said. “It was a process. To be where I’m at and playing the amount of games I played so far, not having setbacks, I put it in that work for a reason.”

When he saw it was a young boy who’d somehow slipped through courtside security to give him a hug, his instinct was to react with an affectionate pat on the head. […] “It was a little kid,” Anthony said when explaining his friendly response. “I was shocked. I didn’t really know who was it until I actually looked over and saw that it was a kid.”

The boy ran onto the court during a stoppage in play with the Knicks on their offensive end, then was shooed back off the court by game official Kevin Cutler. […] The chief of arena security at the Smoothie King Center, Russ Bourgeois, declined to comment on the incident. So it was not immediately clear if the boy or his guardian were cited in any way or removed from the building.

In New York City, the so-called “Calvin Klein Law” subjects those who walk onto the court during a game to arrest and fines. The law was passed in 2003 after fashion designer Calvin Klein walked onto the court at Madison Square Garden and attempted to chat with Knicks player Latrell Sprewell.

OKC took care of business against a short-handed Spurs team, as coach Gregg Popovich sat Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili in Saturday’s defeat. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 60 points, while Enes Kanter recorded a double-double off the bench. As is often the case in B-Squad games, San Antonio’s second unit provided a number of entertaining moments, including this one-handed yam from Boban Marjanovic.

Paul George claimed to be concerned with Indiana’s performance following Saturday’s loss at the Barclays Center, and rightfully so. The Pacers have dropped four of their last seven, and now hold just a two-game lead in the cellar of the Eastern Conference. Brook Lopez’s 23-point effort laid the groundwork for Bojan Bogdanovic’s heroics late in the fourth.

Bulls 89 (36-36), Magic 111 (30-43)

The Magic shot 53.9 percent from the field en route to a 22-point drubbing of the Bulls. One of the league’s more disappointing teams this season, Chicago has now dropped three straight, and has left coach Fred Hoiberg wondering if his players have given up on playoff aspirations entirely.

“I sure hope not,” Bulls first-year coach Fred Hoiberg responded when asked if he thinks his team has quit on trying to make a playoff run.

“Obviously, what I’m saying right now, my message isn’t getting across,” he added. “We’re going to sit in a room and hopefully get it figured out tomorrow.”

Raptors 115 (49-23), Pelicans 91 (26-46)

The Pelicans are going to have trouble making games competitive without Anthony Davis, as evidenced by Toronto’s 24-point thrashing on Saturday. DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 23 points, leading the Raptors to a franchise-record 49th victory.

Paul Millsap’s 23 points spearheaded a night of solid offensive productivity for the Hawks, as all five starters (and three reserve players) scored in double-digits. Atlanta and Detroit mixed it up at various points during Saturday’s contest; a headbutt from Aron Baynes forced Paul Millsap out of the game, and Dennis Schroder exchanged words with Andre Drummond during the third quarter.

Cavaliers 107 (52-21), Knicks 93 (30-44)

The Knicks looked as listless as they have all season, getting out-scored 32-15 in the first quarter. While a resilient 28-point night from Carmelo Anthony helped the Knicks avoid getting blown out, LeBron James’ triple-double helped the Cavs remain in cruise control throughout the second half. Meanwhile, J.R. Smith was up to his usual hijinks in his return to MSG…

The Timberwolves played like a team that had reached double-overtime the night before; scoring just 10 first quarter points en route to a tough loss at home. Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward combined for 37 points, helping Utah tie with Houston for seventh place in the Western Conference.

Hornets 115 (42-31), Bucks 91 (30-44)

Nic Batum and Marvin Williams combined for 46 points, helping Charlotte dispatch the Bucks with relative ease. John Henson (19 points) ignited Milwaukee’s offense in place of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a rare off-night from the field (eight points, 3-of-9 shooting).

Celtics 102 (43-30), Suns 99 (20-53)

A combined 40 points from Devin Booker and Brandon Knight helped the underachieving Suns get within striking distance of Boston, only for a clutch Evan Turner block to secure victory for the Celtics.

In a cool moment, the Suns brought back members of the 1975-76 team for a 40th anniversary.

Philadelphia had their 10th victory within reach, but a dagger and-one from C.J. McCollum spelled doom for the lowly 76ers. On a night of 6-20 shooting from Damian Lillard, Al-Farouq Aminu helped shoulder the offensive load with 20 points.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers lit up the Knicks early and often on Saturday, outscoring New York 32-15 in the first quarter. Despite a 28-point showing from Carmelo Anthony, the Cavs have now improved to 3-1 over their last four games.

No one was happier to see James’ triple-double than teammate Kyrie Irving, who predicted the outcome prior to tip-off.

“That would be dope. That’d be sick,” Smith said before the game. “I’d like to see it. I just hope they save me a spot and I’m on the team.”

Smith was a teammate of Anthony’s for five seasons in Denver and for 3-plus more with the Knicks before he and Iman Shumpert were jettisoned by team president Phil Jackson midway through last season to clear future salary-cap space. […] Anthony signed a five-year $125 million contract to stay in New York in 2014. But this will be the third straight season the Knicks will miss the playoffs, and the nine-time All-Star’s commitment to Jackson’s franchise rebuild recently has been questioned.

“I know it’s been hard on him,” said Smith, whose Cavs also will visit the Garden on Saturday. “It’s one of those situations when you’re a great player in the league and you just don’t have the support system, that cast that you’ve been accustomed to like when we were in Denver or the earlier years when he got to New York. I know it’s been a frustrating process, but if anybody can get through it, it will be Melo. And I know he absolutely wants to make it work here. This is everything he asked for, I mean, except for not making the playoffs and stuff like that. But everything he’s doing for the city and for the Knicks, I think it’s harder for him now more than anything. He doesn’t have the whole supporting cast yet, but this year has been better than last year and I think they will continue to improve. And the way I know him, he’s committed there, for sure.”

Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue and GM David Griffin both chatted with LBJ in recent days about all of this drama he’s creating.

Per the NEOMG:

Lue spoke with James after Saturday’s 122-101 loss in Miami, during which at halftime James was noticeably chatting it up with his friend, Heat star Dwyane Wade, instead of warming up with the Cavs trailing by 21.

Griffin’s talk with James on Wednesday afternoon was a little more general, but was sparked by James’ comments that he wanted to play with Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul on the same team for a “year or two.” […] Lue said James apologized to him for his behavior at halftime Saturday night, and Griffin’s discussion with James was positive and productive, with James echoing recent public statements about an upward trend for the Cavs heading into the playoffs.

“I just told him we can’t have that, being down like we were and him being the leader,” Lue said. “Just me being a competitor, I didn’t like it. We had a long talk about it. It was good. He understood, he apologized, and he’s been great.” […] James’ comments to The Bleacher Report were given Feb. 8 in an interview, at a time in which where there was virtually no drama surrounding him.

James acknowledged Wednesday night that his fantasy may be just that, but, you never know …

Per the Akron Beacon Journal:

“It would definitely be cool if it happened, but we don’t know how realistic it could be to have us four,” James said. “If you got an opportunity to work with three of your best friends, no matter what, it’s not even about sports, it’s about being around guys that you don’t even have to say nothing, you automatically know. We just have that type of history. Can it happen? I don’t know if it can even happen but it would be cool.”

Wade, who can be a free agent after the season, steered clear of the topic when asked about it by Miami reporters Wednesday because the Heat are still fighting for playoff seeding. […] “I heard it. I read it. But I’m not really jumping into the headlines right now,” Wade said prior to the Heat’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. “I’m focused on my teammates in here. So as cool as the headlines are, it has nothing to do with what we’re trying to do in here. So I’m not going to jump into the headlines.”

Anthony, however, is playing on a Knicks team going nowhere and was happy to participate in the fantasy. “I’d take a pay cut if it happens,” he said. “I think we all would have to take a pay cut.” […] If you’re looking for a path to making it happen, sure, theoretically it’s possible. And since James can be a free agent this summer, he could take that pay cut sooner than expected. The New York Daily News reported during the All-Star break the Cavs, Celtics and Knicks discussed a three-team deal that would send Kevin Love to Boston and bring Anthony to Cleveland. Those reports were quickly refuted, although one source with knowledge of the situation said this week James has indeed previously pitched the idea to Cavs management of somehow bringing Anthony to Cleveland. That would require Anthony waiving his no-trade clause.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/carmelo-anthony-would-play-with-lebron-james-somewhere-warm/feed/0SLAMonlineLeBron James Would Take a Pay Cut to Play With Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paulhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/lebron-james-would-take-a-pay-cut-to-play-with-dwyane-wade-carmelo-anthony-and-chris-paul/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/lebron-james-would-take-a-pay-cut-to-play-with-dwyane-wade-carmelo-anthony-and-chris-paul/#respondWed, 23 Mar 2016 19:55:52 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=392035

Before their respective Hall of Fame careers come to an end, LeBron James hopes to someday team up with three of his best friends in the NBA: Dwyane Wade (again),

[Insert an image of Cavs Nation having a collective heart attack here.]

Per Bleacher Report:

Each is the other’s confidant and counselor, the support system that never fails. They are friends first, rivals second, and that order is never in doubt. […] “I think they love one another,” said Mike Krzyzewski, who has coached James and Anthony for more than a decade with the U.S. national team. “It’s so damn genuine, and it’s so cool to see…They have each others’ back, on everything.”

Decisions have been made, trades forced, contracts signed, fates chosen, taking the teen stars down starkly different paths. The bond endures. The vision of a James-Anthony partnership does, too. […] “I really hope that, before our career is over, we can all play together,” James said. “At least one, maybe one or two seasons—me, Melo, D-Wade, CP—we can get a year in. I would actually take a pay cut to do that.”

“It would be pretty cool,” James said. “I’ve definitely had thoughts about it.” […] Before bounding away, he smiles and closes with a coy chirp: “We’ll see.”

Carmelo Anthony is a veteran at this media shit. It’s about 45 minutes after the Knicks’ first game in the post-Derek Fisher era, a loss to the Wizards at MSG. Melo is finishing up his League-mandated locker room time with reporters when he’s asked about adjusting to interim head coach Kurt Rambis.

“I just go with the flow, man,” he says, smiling suddenly. “I go with the flow and Stay Melo.” The room cracks up. Melo’s uncanny ability to sidestep a tough question while simultaneously endearing himself to the insatiable horde of cameras and recorders allows him to breathe easy in a city where many players before him have suffocated.

The 6-8, 240-pound forward slithers through the 24/7 New York media cycle with guile not unlike the way he weaves his way to the cup through a crowded paint, but he’s also not afraid to speak candidly. During All-Star Weekend in Toronto a few days later, with the trade deadline looming, he addressed the gossip surrounding his future head-on. “It sucks. I’m tired of these rumors, man. I’m tired of ’em,” Melo told reporters. “It’s always something, man. Always.”

That Friday night, Anthony took a courtside seat for the first half of the Rising Stars Challenge at the Air Canada Centre to support his young teammate and Rookie of the Year candidate Kristaps Porzingis. You know, like a varsity player casually checking out the JV game. He smiled, waved into fans’ flashing iPhone cameras and exchanged daps with KP as if he were a proud older brother giving that public sign of approval to lil’ bro. (Melo is, unsurprisingly, quite familiar with eliciting hoopla just by walking into a gymnasium—a night earlier he caused a ruckus in the middle of the Jordan Brand Invitational, an All-Star Weekend high school showcase at nearby Mattamy Athletic Centre featuring his former school Oak Hill, as he meandered to his seat. It’s a scene that has also become an annual occurrence at the Jordan Brand Classic in Brooklyn, often producing the loudest cheers of the night at the Barclays Center.) At some point before halftime, Melo’s phone buzzed. A text message from a friend back in Baltimore read, “Is it true?” accompanied by a screenshot of the latest clickbaity headline attaching his name to a tantalizing blockbuster trade rumor.

“I looked at it, and I put it back in my pocket,” Melo said the next morning, laughing. “I actually don’t read nothing. No articles, I don’t go online to read, I don’t read newspapers.” But he can’t avoid the questions, and the texts don’t stop coming in from inquiring minds, despite the no-trade clause he says he’ll never waive.

“It’s just the accumulation of just always hearing, Melo trade, Melo trade, Melo trade,” he added matter-of-factly. “Eventually you get tired of hearing it. I think I’m just at the point where I’m getting tired of hearing it, tired of speaking on it. It just don’t make any sense at this point. Until something happens.”

Those rumors typically pick up steam on Twitter and in barbershops thanks to a loud chorus of undiscerning fans who view Melo as a lazy ballhog who can’t win. Even a few highly regarded hoop writers detest watching him play, and don’t hesitate to say so. But reducing the former No. 3 overall pick’s efforts to an ugly stereotype is highly unfair, and refusing to acknowledge the evolution of his game is simply ignorant. Ironic, isn’t it, the use of that word, “lazy.” The blunt injustice in all the Melo shade is pretty simple: He’s playing some of the best basketball of his career.

There are the surface-level statistics that point to his incredible well-rounded play—he’s averaging a career-best 4.2 assists and attempting the fewest field goals per game since he was 20, while still posting 21.8 ppg and pulling down 8+ rebounds a night for just the second season of his 13 in the League. There are advanced stats, too, like the fact that Melo is one of just five players who have logged at least 1,500 minutes this season to use 29 percent of his team’s possessions while assisting on at least 20 percent of his teammates’ baskets and blocking at least 1 percent of all opponents’ shots (the others: Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and James Harden). But numbers always ring hollow to haters.

“He’s going to get most of the criticism whether we win or lose,” admits Knicks forward Derrick Williams, who grew up watching Carmelo—he was 12 when Anthony was drafted. “If we lose and he plays great, he’s going to get most of the criticism anyway.”

See, somewhere along the line, hating on Carmelo Anthony became fashionable (not to mention easy, thanks to the Knicks’ top-down organizational woes). Petty Knicks fans decided they’d be better off without one of the best players in the League, turning their attention to far-fetched free-agent fantasies like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Fans of other teams watch a few highlights and read articles with titles like “Carmelo Anthony: Way Overrated” from major publications like The Atlantic and agree that yup, he’s washed. Announcing Carmelo Anthony is your favorite player no longer comes with the kind of instant cool it once did, when he was rocking the braids as a brash but unstoppable teenager in Denver. Or even when the “Welcome to New York” swag was still fresh during his first few months in the Big Apple.

Melo will turn 32 in May. Save for the icons like Mike and Kobe, rarely if ever does an aging star stack up to younger, flashier players in the “cool” department. Porzingis in fact is already pushing Anthony for the title of most popular Knick, not even a full 82 into his career—curious, since he also represents the best teammate Melo’s had since Allen Iverson. But superficialities be damned, Anthony is balling. Which is why no one flinched when he was voted an All-Star starter for the seventh straight season. Haters had to pay homage, huh?

Still, it’s maddening that even with the Zen Master at the helm, the Knicks, in their current form, are nothing short of a trash can emoji; a point guard-less, interim head coach-havin’ runaway train hurdling into infinite mediocrity, a fate mitigated only by Melo’s continued commitment to professionalism and the flickering hope of Porzingis one day becoming what Melo already is: a superstar.

Even if New York suddenly goes on a Derek Jeter-like hot streak, they’re still going to miss Playoffs for a third straight season. “That doesn’t sit well with me,” Anthony says.

***

On an early January day off between a Knicks loss in Chicago and a home win over Atlanta, Melo sits in a back room at Jordan Brand’s Terminal 23 space in Manhattan, where his own logo adorns the invite-only basketball court that has become, among other functions, his personal playground. He’s sipping Starbucks and going over some logistical details. In a few minutes, he’ll be surprising a lucky group of high schoolers from around the Tri-State Area to host an intimate Q+A session and lead a few drills.

If it feels like Melo has been more active in seeking out opportunities to impact youth lately, that’s because, well, he has. Last year he visited incarcerated youth at Rikers Island. This year he took a strong public stance against gun violence, first as part of an NBA-backed PSA, and again through the media after teammate Cleanthony Early was robbed and shot in the leg at gunpoint in December. When you consider that a decade ago Anthony, who spent his formative years in West Baltimore, found himself in hot water for a brief cameo in Stop Fucking Snitching Vol. 1, the DVD, it’s hard not to appreciate the personal transformation.

“It comes a point and time when you gotta sit back and be like, Alright, cool, let me figure this out,” Melo says of his own maturation process. “You have a voice now. I realize I have a voice—I want to be heard for certain things. I don’t want to just be heard when it comes to basketball. Like, real-life situations. There’s more to sports than just shooting the ball or throwing a football or hitting a baseball. It’s more to life than that. There’s real life things that’s going on out there that people like myself can use their voice.”

As he walks out to meet the high school kids behind raucous applause, one brash voice yells out above the others, “What took you so long?!” Having called New York his professional home since 2011, Anthony is no stranger to the city’s bold brand of trash talk. (In fact, he told VICE, “You’re not a New Yorker if you don’t wake up some days and be like, ‘Man, fuck this place.’”)

“I love that vibe,” he says of the fearless youngsters giving him a hard time. “That vibe, that’s what New York is about. That’s who I am. That’s authentic to who I am as a person.”

Carmelo was born in Brooklyn, raised in Red Hook until he was 8 and—despite recent reflections on his loyalty through the years—is dead-set on finishing his career in a Knicks uniform, no matter what your favorite sources say.

“I don’t want to run. I could have ran somewhere when I was a free agent. I came back for a reason. I came back because I wanted to be there,” Melo opined scrupulously at one point during his ninth All-Star Weekend. “Doing it in New York is better than doing it any place in the world. One in New York is better than multiple somewhere else. So that was the reason why I wanted to come to New York. That’s the reason why I’m in New York.”

—

Abe Schwadron is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @abe_squad. Images via Getty.

A little over a month ago, Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo dismissed the Triangle Offense as not being “a good look” for him, but he walked back those remarks over the weekend prior to facing the New York Knicks.

Rondo says he can thrive in any system, and took a shot at former Knicks head coach Derek Fisher after he claimed the veteran guard hadn’t succeeded against the famed offense in the past.

Rondo on Fisher saying he wasn't successful vs. the triangle: "He might have blacked out a couple of times (when) we beat their a– in '08."

“I had a comment earlier about it, but if I put my mind at it, I think I can be good at anything,” Rondo said. […] The free-agent-to-be surely will be a target of the Knicks this summer to fill a point guard position that has been a black hole since Jason Kidd manned it in a 54-win campaign during the 2012-13 season. Not surprisingly, it was also the last time the Knicks qualified for the playoffs.

Rondo signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Kings last year in attempt to revive his career, and he has done just that. The 30-year-old is averaging 11.7 points and a career-high 11.8 assists per game and has made it known he loves to play at Madison Square Garden. […] “It’s one of those arenas,” Rondo said. “That’s the biggest lights. It’s Broadway … Madison Square Garden is the mecca of basketball, so it’s always great going there and perform in front of a lot of fans.”

Anthony says he has been extremely loyal to the franchise, but maybe to a fault.

Melo turns 32 in a couple of months; he says it’s time to start competing for a title instead of merely trying to get into the Playoffs.

Per Yahoo:

Q: Why do you still have hope it can work in New York?Anthony: “I got hope in myself. I do have to believe in the process. I don’t want to say this was all part of the plan coming back [to New York]. This is a big, big summer.”

Q: Is there anything (Phil) Jackson has said that gives you confidence in the future?Anthony: “We had a great conversation [recently]. It was just one conversation. At this point, it’s more show me rather than tell me. That’s where I am at.”

Q: How much power do you have with [your] no-trade clause?Anthony: “I guess I have all the power. If I really wanted to get out of this situation I could have waived that no-trade clause. But I’ve stuck with it and I’m still sticking with it. I don’t know, maybe my loyalty has come back to bite me in the ass. As of right now, I am sticking to it.”

Team president Phil Jackson came out in support of Rambis last week, saying he believes he’s fully capable of leading the Knicks going forward. Anthony believes Jackson should also interview other people. […] “I think you consider Kurt at that job,” Anthony said after the Knicks practiced Tuesday at Oracle Arena. “He brought Kurt here for that reason if anything was to happen and the situation is here for him now. I think it’s just more of seeing how Kurt handles the situation right now, how the team does, how the team responds to Kurt. But I think you still have to go out there and at least listen to other candidates out there.”

Rambis said he and Jackson talked about the home-road scenario when they were together with the Lakers, but nothing ever materialized. […] “Not with the Knicks,” Rambis said. “It was a what-if scenario. It never even got close to being something that was realistic.”

Anthony, 31, has three more seasons left on his contract, and he has, at times, expressed frustration and disappointment about losing this season as the Knicks, who seem assured of missing the playoffs, have once again stumbled into irrelevance. […] “The only thing I’m going to say about it, I thought it was a good conversation,” Anthony said late Sunday after the Knicks’ last-second victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. “I thought it was good timing for us to sit down and talk.”

Jackson revealed last week that the two had met. He told reporters that Anthony had seemed committed to the team, that he told Anthony he remained the cornerstone of the team, and that Anthony was engaged in the discussion, asking direct questions. […] “It was more of just an open dialogue, just questions that I had,” Anthony said. “I won’t go into the detail of those questions. It was just good for me to get it out there, talk about it, get his response, get his feedback. That was that.”

“It’s in their court,” Anthony said of the Knicks’ front office and ownership. “The ball is in their court. If they have an opportunity, if we have an opportunity, to do something this off-season, we’ve got to do something. It’s there. Everybody has money this summer, so it’s kind of an even playing field. You just got to hit the ground running.”

T’Wolves head coach Sam Mitchell was thrilled at his team’s effort in a tough road match-up.

“Think about it, these guys are averaging 110 points a game and we held them to 14 points below their average,” Mitchell said. “For these guys to step up and take the challenge on the road, and this is a tough building to play in, it was just a great win for us.”

Pelicans 114 (24-40), Grizzlies 121 (39-26)

Anthony Davis (25 points), and Jrue Holiday (34 points) gave Memphis all they could handle, but ultimately succumbed to the Grizzlies in an entertaining overtime duel. Jeff Green posted a double-double, but the heroes for coach Dave Joerger’s team were Lance Stephenson and Matt Barnes. Stephenson went off for a career-high 33 points, while Barnes dropped a triple-double on New Orleans.

Magic 107 (28-36), Kings 100 (25-39)

Slam Dunk Contest runner-up Aaron Gordon provided a double-double with 20 points and 11 boards, handing Sacramento their fourth consecutive loss. DeMarcus Cousins was notably absent from action in the defeat, as he served a one-game suspension handed down by the team’s front office. If Boogie’s Instagram posts are of any indication, the suspension didn’t resonate with the two-time All-Star.

The Hornets cruised to their sixth straight victory thanks to 22 points from Marvin Williams and a double-double from Nicolas Batum. Charlotte now claims sole possession of fifth place in the Eastern Conference, while the Pistons cling onto eighth place.

Nets 89 (18-47), 76ers 95 (9-56)

The 76ers endured a scary moment in this contest, as a collision between Robert Covington and Jerami Grant forced each player out of the game. With Jahlil Okafor out for the year, Philly’s depth chart will be thin for their match-up with Detroit tomorrow night. Speaking of which…

Despite getting caught flat-footed on a slick Isaiah Thomas move in the first quarter, James Harden would score 32 points, leading Houston to their third straight victory. Another noteworthy performance came from Michael Beasley, who posted his best stat line since returning from International ball.

Heat 118 (38-27), Bulls 96 (32-32)

Having dropped six of their last eight, the Bulls are having a difficult enough time as is…with Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose each sidelined with injuries, it’s virtually impossible for this team to contend. Goran Dragic led the way with 26 points, while Hassan Whiteside came off the bench to grab 16 boards. With hopes of returning this season, Chris Bosh delivered words of encouragement to his team.

The Trail Blazers and Warriors engaged in an unprecedented three-point shootout, making at least 18 treys each for the first time in league history. The Splash Bros were the usual culprits for Golden State, as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 15 of the Warriors’ 18 long-balls. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers distributed the workload, as Al-Farouq Aminu, Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Meyers Leonard, Gerald Henderson, and Brian Roberts all hit multiple shots from beyond the arc.

Wizards 93 (30-34), Jazz 114 (30-35)

Shelvin Mack stole the show with a career-high 27 points, shooting 11-of-17 from the floor while notching four steals. The Wizards received 24 points from John Wall but little help elsewhere, leading to Washington’s fourth-straight loss.

Kristaps Porzingis, Carmelo Anthony, and Robin Lopez scored 20-plus points each; unfortunately, only one other player scored in double-digits, allowing the Clippers to eke out a victory. Despite a lukewarm start as New York’s interim coach, Phil Jackson told reporters today he’d like Kurt Rambis to return next season.

“He has a way of handling players. He’s relaxed, yet he has the ability to keep them focused on the important parts of it. He’s a defensive-oriented guy. I had him as my defensive coordinator for my teams in 2007, ’08 and ’09. And I think he has a real good handle on that part.”

The 30-year-old floor leader has enjoyed a bounce-back season and currently leads the NBA in assists per night.

Per the NY Daily News:

“I think Rondo — just me personally, I don’t want to be tampering — but I’ve heard he said he wouldn’t thrive in a system like this,” Anthony said. “I think he’d be perfect in a system like this.”

Anthony then refuted the idea that the triangle isn’t a system for ball-dominant point guards, or averse to those like Rondo who aren’t good shooters but create through penetration. […] “It is a misconception about that. Some of the keys of our offense is penetration, getting in the paint,” Anthony said. “Pushing the pace, transition. Creating in the paint for bigs, for yourself, everybody else. I think a point guard would love that. Especially a point guard who can penetrate, create for yourself, create for others. I think it’s a perfect opportunity for him. Put me at the head of the (meeting) table,” Anthony said. “And let’s go to work.”

Earlier this season, Anthony said that he successfully convinced Rondo to join the Knicks a couple of seasons ago, but the point guard was under contract with the Celtics. […] “I’ve talked to him kind of behind the scenes, kind of doing what I do best. Tried to get him to think about playing in New York,” Anthony said. “There was a time where he wanted to come. It’s out of my hands at that point.”

Sidelined with a knee injury since February 5th, Jimmy Butler made his triumphant return to the Bulls’ lineup, scoring 24 points with 11 boards before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Pau Gasol (28 points) and Derrick Rose (17 points) helped ensure Butler’s return would be a victorious one.

The Rockets, meanwhile, received 36 points from James Harden, and 12 boards from Dwight Howard, but have now dropped three of their last four. What’s more, critiques of Houston’s defense continue to hold water.

Pistons 89 (31-31), Knicks 102 (26-38)

A lopsided second quarter guided interim coach Kurt Rambis’ Knicks to their first win since Feb 27. Arron Afflalo got the bench on their feet at one point with this dazzling crossover on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

“We should all be disappointed. It was ridiculous. We were just terrible. We didn’t bring any energy to the game. We didn’t play well at either end. Yeah, it was an embarrassing performance.”

Celtics 103 (38-26), Cavaliers 120 (44-17)

LeBron James stuffed his stat sheet to the tune of 28 points, 11 boards, 8 assists, and 2 steals in Cleveland’s third straight victory. Avery Bradley did his part to provide fireworks in an otherwise disappointing loss; crossing up King James before hitting an open jumper.

Anthony Davis managed to score 29 points despite a gaudy 11-for-31 mark from the field, but the Pelicans otherwise received just 19 points from their starting unit in a losing effort Saturday. Rudy Gobert dominated the paint with 18 boards and 2 blocks, while Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward paired up nicely for a combined 52 points as Utah snapped a five-game skid.

Pacers 100 (33-30), Wizards 99 (30-32)

Paul George hit a pair of free throws with three seconds left in regulation to cap a brilliant 38-point effort. John Wall may have committed 7 turnovers while shooting 9-of-24 from the field, but his circus and-one shot will be on highlight reels for the foreseeable future.

Minnesota’s young crop of talent rose to the occasion against Brooklyn, as Karl-Anthony Towns was one of three T’Wolves to exceed 20 points in Saturday’s W. The team shot a franchise record 68.4 percent from the field, and staved off a 39-point fourth quarter from the Nets.

Kings 94 (25-35), Spurs 104 (52-9)

Manu Ginobili returned from a 12-game absence to score 22 points over just 15 minutes, helping the short-handed Spurs dispatch of the Kings. Despite facing a team resting Tim Duncan, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Danny Green, the Kings fell to 1-5 over their last six games, and helped the Spurs reach an impressive milestone.

https://twitter.com/search?f=images&vertical=default&q=30-0&src=typd

Hawks 107 (34-28), Clippers 97 (40-20)

Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague combined for 42 points, and Dennis Schroder dropped 16 off the bench to put away the surging Clippers. DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul combined for 34 points, while Jeff Green continued to fill in nicely for Blake Griffin, adding 14 points with 5 rebounds.

“Yeah I talked to [Dolan],” Anthony said. “We spoke about it. We didn’t spend too much time on it. It was Mr. Dolan’s decision.”

“I don’t think I said anything wrong,” Anthony said. “[The fan] said he wasn’t coming to any more games. I said, ‘Why are you talking to me about it. Discuss that with him [Dolan].’ ”

Anthony made clear he was not blaming Dolan or team brass for the Knicks’ predicament — a season-worst 12 games under .500 and on the verge of missing the playoffs a third straight season. […] “Too many (wrong) interpretations,’’ said Anthony, who also said the New York pressure was not getting to him. “I don’t mind wearing the (black) hat,” he said. “I don’t have that issue. I don’t any problem with putting the pressure on me and putting it on my shoulders. When it goes bad, it falls on me anyway. Anything that happens in New York I get blamed for. That’s just the way it is. I accept that. I’m not frustrated right now. I actually feel pretty good right now. I had a good practice. That frustration I left behind me. Tomorrow is a new day.”

During a heated exchange with a heckler, the Knicks’ frustrated All-Star pointed at his boss, James Dolan, and simply told the angry fan: “Ask for your money back.” […] Phil Jackson’s second full season as Knicks president has officially gone from bad to worse to ugly. And it all unfolded right in front of Dolan, the MSG chairman, who headed directly for Jackson’s suite immediately after Portland’s 104-85 victory.

Moments earlier, Dolan was within earshot of the heckler berating Anthony until Garden security interceded and escorted the man, wearing a suit, out of the building with 4:13 remaining.

“He kept calling my name, calling my name, saying ‘You guys suck, you guys suck,’” Anthony revealed. “At that point I was trying to gather myself and I turned around, all I did was point at Dolan and told him, ‘Look, the owner’s right there. Ask for your money back.’ […] He’s calling me and telling me he’s never coming to another game and we suck. Just don’t want to hear that. I pointed to the owner and told him you deal with that with him, maybe you can get your money back.”

Johnson was in the starting lineup a day after signing with the Heat and contributed to their 13-2 burst to start the game, a lead they never relinquished. […] “You get a guy a caliber of, a player like him, you normally get that in the offseason,” Wade said. “So to be able to get it right now, as you’re going into a playoff run, is very important for this team, especially with everything that we’ve been dealing with.”

Hassan Whiteside added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who matched a franchise record with their fifth straight victory in New York. Luol Deng scored 15 points and Johnson finished with 12.

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points for the Knicks, who have lost 14 of 17. Robin Lopez had 14 points and 14 rebounds. […] “We just couldn’t get any sort of consistent rhythm because we couldn’t make the shots we normally make,” interim coach Kurt Rambis said. “It breaks your momentum, it breaks your confidence and guys couldn’t just get momentum, get the fans involved in the ballgame.”

How will the 31-year-old Anthony react to yet another season without a playoff appearance? […] “That doesn’t sit well with me,” Anthony said during All-Star Weekend in Toronto. “To reflect a little about that, it’s tough. To think about that, to know that it can be three years if we don’t pick it up right away. I try not to think about it right now. In actuality, you have to start thinking about that eventually.”

Anthony was also asked by reporters if another playoff-free season would cause him to think about his future with the Knicks. He gave an interesting response. […] “Not yet. Not yet. Not yet,” Anthony said. “I’m pretty sure I’ll have that conversation with myself, my family, my team [agents]. That’s not a conversation right now.”

Prior to the trade deadline, the Boston Celtics expressed interest in obtaining Anthony via a trade with the Knicks, according to league sources with knowledge of the situation. […] It is unclear if there were any formal discussions between New York and Boston and if those discussions ever reached an advanced stage. But Boston was informed that Anthony had no desire to leave the Knicks via trade to play for the Celtics, sources say.

Interim head coach Kurt Rambis showed he may need some help using Twitter over the weekend, after a very graphic pornographic tweet of a woman masturbating showed up in his “liked” tweets this past weekend. […] The photo is of an Asian woman pleasuring herself while standing in front of a mirror, with the reflection of her backside also visible. The X-rated pic was captioned “Love female masturbation #NSFW.”

Rambis offered a vague comment before the Knicks played the Raptors on Monday night about the situation: “It’s unfortunate that it happened. I’ve dealt with it and moved on.” […] According to the team, however, Rambis was hacked and/or spammed. In addition to the pornography, Rambis’ account showed that he liked a money-lending tweet that he did not, according to Jonathan Supranowitz, the team’s VP of public relations. “Kurt did not like those items on his Twitter page and we worked with Twitter to make sure the situation did not happen again,” Supranowitz said.

Anthony could not hide his utter despair — on the court or off — and seemed to question his teammates’ will, speaking in an ominous tone. […] “We need to want to be out there, want to play, want to go deep,’’ Anthony said. “I think we need to take it upon ourselves individually. It’s not anything to do with X’s and O’s. We have to take it upon ourselves to take the challenge as a group

Entering Saturday’s contest saddled with a seven-game losing streak, Carmelo Anthony put the Knicks on his back with a 30-point, 11-rebound effort — eclipsing 22,000 career points in the process. Dominant as ‘Melo was, he met a game adversary in Andrew Wiggins; the youngster scored 24 points in what proved to be an engaging duel. The W was Kurt Rambis’ first as interim coach of the Knicks — Rambis endured a brutal 32-132 run as T’Wolves head coach in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. Despite getting called up to the big show, former college standout Jimmer Fredette was unable to receive court time from the Knicks’ bench.

Carmelo on Jimmer: "To be honest with you I haven't seen Jimmy play in a long time."

In his return from a one-game suspension, Hassan Whiteside proved to be the difference in Saturday’s victory over the Wizards. Whiteside, who was sidelined for his role in an altercation with Boban Marjanovic, recorded an incredible double-double in just under 30 minutes of court time. Apparently in a giddy mood, Whiteside had this to say of teammate Josh McRoberts after the game:

Washington had no answers for the Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade-less Heat — a rare off-night for John Wall (5-of-17 from the field) impacted the team, as the Wizards shot a dismal 13.6 percent from downtown. If things don’t turn around quickly, coach Randy Wittman could find himself back on the hot seat.

Bucks 117 (23-33), Hawks 109 (31-26)

The Hawks displayed immense heart in Saturday’s defeat, utilizing clutch buckets from Dennis Schroder and Al Horford to force double-overtime at home. Jabari Parker was on a mission, however, as the former Blue Devil torched Atlanta for a career-high 28 points with 13 rebounds. Greg Monroe and Giannis Antetokounmpo also helped the cause with double-doubles. Kirk Hinrich, re-acquired from the Bulls at the trade deadline, didn’t crack coach Mike Budenholzer’s rotation in the double-OT loss.

After an embarrassing loss to Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers on Friday, the Warriors rebounded to take care of business against Chris Paul (24 points), DeAndre Jordan (16 points, 21 boards), Jamal Crawford (25 points), and the Clippers. While a late run from L.A. likely made this game closer than it needed to be, Draymond Green stole the show with his league-leading 11th triple-double. The Splash Brothers dropped a combined 55 points in Golden State’s starting unit, all but spelling doom for the Clippers. If nothing else can be taken away from Saturday’s defeat, the Clippers got their first look at Jeff Green- an intriguing player acquired in exchange for Lance Stephenson, who never found a true role in coach Doc Rivers’ rotation.

Kobe was the guest of honor at the ultra-exclusive gathering this past Saturday night, and shared plenty of laughs, food and drinks with organizers Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade.

Bryant says he was extremely touched by the gesture.

Per the AP:

“It was really special,” Bryant said on Sunday night after scoring 10 points in his last All-Star appearance, a 196-173 win for the West over the East. “Those are the things you don’t get a chance to hear when you’re competing against each other. To hear those stories now, you have such a deep sense of appreciation and such a brotherhood from all the years of competing against each other. It just felt good.”

The dinner was secret, super-exclusive, invitation-only. It’s something the trio started doing last season at All-Star weekend, calling the gathering the Gentleman’s Supper Club. This year, the group wanted Bryant to be tied into it somehow. […] So after All-Star Saturday festivities ended, the group headed out to the party that mattered most to them. Dinner was a fish dish, and it wasn’t served until after 2 a.m. The wine and spirits were flowing long before that, and for a little while afterward as well. By the time everything had wound down, sunrise wasn’t far away.

They gave him some silly gifts. They presented him with a giant bottle of wine, a 1996 vintage in a nod to his rookie season. And they told Bryant what he meant to their lives. […] “This is amazing,” Bryant said at the restaurant, glass in hand. “I’m not the most social person, so to get this from you guys means absolutely everything to me.”

John Wall had 28 points and 17 assists, Bradley Beal scored 26, and the Wizards beat New York 111-108 on Tuesday night in the Knicks’ first game under Rambis. […] Wall made four free throws in the final 6.6 seconds and the Wizards handed the Knicks their sixth straight loss when Langston Galloway’s 3-pointer at the buzzer was just short after Washington failed to foul intentionally as planned.

“Nobody’s happy. Everybody is kind of depressed that we’re losing,” Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis said. “Now we’ve lost our coach so there’s lots of stuff going on but we try to stay focused. We just have to find a way to get back.”

“It is starting to become kind of habitual right now starting the games off slow,” Carmelo Anthony said. “We can’t give teams 30-plus points in the first quarter, then try to fight back. Once you fight back like we did today, it’s still an uphill battle that you’ve got to fight.” […] Anthony had 33 points and 13 rebounds, but the Knicks have dropped 10 of 11.

Blake Griffin is out of the lineup, recovering from hand surgery after punching a co-worker, and reportedly, the LA Clippers have begun exploring trade possibilities for the five-time All-Star forward.

Griffin, 26, is putting up averages of 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and five dimes in his sixth season.

Per Forbes:

The Clips have called the Nuggets about sending Griffin to Denver, according to sources with direct knowledge of the talks. The Nuggets have begun their due diligence, trying to see if it makes sense to put together a package for the five-time All-Star.

Denver is said to be somewhat leery of making a move for Griffin because, in part, the Nuggets don’t believe a superstar of Griffin’s magnitude would be willing to re-sign when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2018. That might seem like a long way off, but the Nuggets are still smarting from being forced to trade Carmelo Anthony in Feb., 2011 when he was approaching free agency and forced his way to New York. Griffin has played his entire career in Los Angeles. […] At 26, Griffin is one of the NBA’s marquee stars, appearing as the main spokesman for KIA, the official car of the NBA. He didn’t make the All-Star team for the first time in his six-year pro career as he’s missed 19 of L.A.’s 49 games due to a leg injury and broken hand.

The Knicks have been mentioned as a potential destination if the Clippers break up their “Lob City” attack and move Griffin. But unless Anthony waives a no-trade clause and agrees to leave, New York would not have the necessary assets to send back in a blockbuster deal. Another potential obstacle for some potential suitors is Griffin’s broken right hand that could keep him out another five weeks. […] The Nuggets are open to trading power forward Kenneth Faried, 26, who has been inconsistent in his first five seasons. Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari is also available in the right deal. But they intend to keep building around promising rookie PG Emmanuel Mudiay.

Carmelo Anthony achieved quite a coup in Saturday’s game against the Hornets, hitting a first quarter jumper to pass Gary Payton on the NBA all-time scoring list. Payton, whose 17-year NBA career led to an induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, boasts 21,813 career points with 8,966 assists. Congratulations to ‘Melo for the impressive milestone!